A United Nations judge was convicted [1] in a U.K. court on Thursday for forcing a Ugandan woman into domestic servitude after deceiving her into traveling to the country.
Lydia Mugambe, 49, who also serves as a high court judge in Uganda, was found guilty of exploiting the woman as a maid and unpaid childcare provider while she was studying for a PhD at Oxford University.
🚨🇬🇧UN JUDGE FOUND GUILTY OF KEEPING WOMAN AS A SLAVE IN UK
Ugandan UN judge Lydia Mugambe told police she had diplomatic immunity when they arrested her for keeping a woman as an unpaid servant in her Oxfordshire home.
Mugambe tricked her victim into coming to the UK, forcing… pic.twitter.com/GmvwI0ZhSE [2]
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 14, 2025 [3]
A jury at Oxford Crown Court convicted Mugambe on all four charges, including an immigration offense, forcing someone to work, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
During the trial, prosecution lawyer Caroline Haughey KC detailed how Mugambe “exploited and abused” the victim by misleading her into coming to the U.K. and using her unfamiliarity with her legal rights against her.
“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,” Haughey told the court, according to Sky News.
UN Judge Lydia Mugambe found guilty of enslaving a fellow African woman and trafficking her to the UK.
Follow: @AFpost [4] pic.twitter.com/e46Fhphzxt [5]
— AF Post (@AFpost) March 14, 2025 [6]
Mugambe denied the charges, claiming she had diplomatic immunity when she was first arrested.
Police bodycam footage captured her telling officers she had “immunity” and was “not a criminal.”
Lydia Mugambe, a UN & Ugandan judge, has today been convicted of bringing a woman into the country illegally & then forcing her to work as a slave.
Mugambe tried to evade justice by claiming she had diplomatic immunity, which has now been removed đźš«
👉 https://t.co/g0nVYCPBl7 [7] pic.twitter.com/duzVQET6Jk [8]
— Thames Valley Police (@ThamesVP) March 13, 2025 [9]
The case gained further attention due to Mugambe’s high-profile role in the international legal community.
She was appointed to the United Nations’ judicial roster in May 2023, three months after police responded to her address in Oxfordshire.
As the jury returned guilty verdicts, gasps were heard from the public gallery.
The court had to be cleared when Mugambe appeared unwell.
She is scheduled to be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on May 2.