A United Nations judge convicted of enslaving a young Ugandan woman in Britain told police she had “immunity” and was “not a criminal” when she was arrested, bodycam footage released by Thames Valley Police shows.
Lydia Mugambe, who also serves as a High Court judge in Uganda, was found guilty of forcing the woman to work as her maid and provide childcare for free. Prosecutors told Oxford Crown Court that she “took advantage of her status” in the “most egregious way” by deceiving the victim into travelling to the UK.
The court heard that Mugambe prevented the woman from securing stable employment and intended to “obtain someone to make her life easier at the least possible cost to herself.” However, the 49-year-old defendant denied the allegations, claiming she had “always” treated the woman with love, care, and patience.
Mugambe, who was pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford, appeared visibly shocked when officers arrested her under the Modern Slavery Act. In the footage, she told an officer: “I am a judge in my country, I even have immunity. I am not a criminal.” When asked to confirm her immunity, she replied: “Yes, I have a diplomatic passport.”
She also insisted that she did not need anyone to work for her, stating: “I didn’t come with her; she asked me because she has worked at my home before.”
Jurors found Mugambe guilty of multiple offences, including conspiring to facilitate a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel for exploitation, forced labour, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
According to her UN profile, Mugambe was appointed to the organisation’s judicial roster in May 2023—three months after police were called to her Oxfordshire residence.
Prosecutor Caroline Haughey KC told the court: “Lydia Mugambe has exploited and abused (the woman), taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights to properly paid employment and deceiving her as to the purpose of her coming to the UK.”
The victim, whose identity is protected, testified that she felt “lonely” and “stuck” after her working hours were restricted.
During the trial, defence lawyer Paul Raudnitz KC asked Mugambe whether she had arranged the woman’s travel with the intent to exploit her. She responded: “I never exploited [the woman] in Uganda, why would I exploit her in the UK?” She also denied that the woman had “worked under a threat of penalty or consequence.”
However, prosecutors said Mugambe conspired with Uganda’s deputy high commissioner, John Leonard Mugerwa, to bring the woman to Britain in what they described as an “illegal folly.” The pair allegedly engaged in a “very dishonest” trade-off—Mugerwa arranged for the Ugandan High Commission to sponsor the victim’s visa in exchange for Mugambe intervening in a legal case he was involved in.
Mugambe is scheduled to be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on 2 May.
