KAMPALA: An American couple detained on suspicion of severely torturing a 10-year-old boy in Uganda have now been charged with the additional charge of seriously injured child trafficking, which carries the death penalty if convicted. the state prosecutor said on Wednesday.
Nicholas Spencer and Mackenzie Leigh Mathias Spencer, both 32, have been in custody in Uganda since December 9, accused of abusing a child who was living under foster care at their Kampala, Uganda home. To that charge, he has pleaded not guilty.
The couple are also charged with "aggravated child trafficking," according to the updated charge sheet obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. He hasn't pleaded guilty to this yet.
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The unknown lawyer for the couple referred to the investigation by the authorities as a "fishing operation" and claimed they lacked any supporting evidence, according to the Ugandan newspaper Monitor. According to one report, she said the new charge "makes no sense."
Reuters made several unsuccessful attempts to contact a lawyer on his behalf through the court and the prosecutor's office.
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors claim that the couple "abused their position of vulnerability for purposes of exploitation" to find, transport and keep the child.
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The new charge was read to the couple when they appeared at a magistrates' court on Tuesday, but according to public spokeswoman Jacqueline Okui, they were not allowed to enter the plea, as the case could only be heard in the High Court. prosecutor's office, who told Reuters on Wednesday.
Okuyi said a date has not yet been set for Spencer and his wife to appear in high court to plead guilty to the new charge. Spencer and his wife were further detained.
To produce him in the court, Okuyi said, "We will start the process of producing him in the High Court, but we cannot say when it will be completed."
The maximum punishment for the first charge, which is aggravated child torture, is life imprisonment.
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Inquiries for comment on Wednesday were not immediately responded to by the US embassy in Kampala. It said last week that it was monitoring the situation and was aware of reports of the arrest and detention of two US citizens in Kampala, but had no further comment due to privacy concerns.