Omoro District Woman Member of Parliament Catherine Lamwaka
Kampala. Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court will on April 23, decide the fate of a student accused of harassing Omoro District Woman Member of Parliament Catherine Lamwaka through phone text messages.
James Omara, 23, a student at Kampala International University, was last week convicted on his own plea of guilty after confessing to one count of offensive communication as read to him by the trial magistrate, Ms Stella Maris Amabilis.
Ms Amabilis had adjourned the matter to yesterday for sentencing. However, she could not deliver the verdict since the state prosecutor was indisposed.
She adjourned the matter to April 23.
The prosecution contended that between February and March at an unknown location in Kampala while using a Tecno phone having an MTN Uganda sim card, the convict wilfully and repeatedly used electronic communication through SMS messages to disturb or attempted to disturb the peace and right to privacy, Ms Lamwaka.
Similar case
This is not the first time that students are charged with stalking female legislators. Last year, Kabarole Woman MP Sylvia Rwabwogo accused Brian Isiko, 25, a student of YMCA College of Business Studies in Jinja of harassing her through love text messages.
Isiko’s plea of guilty has since been quashed by High Court Judge Jane Francis Abodo, who noted that the trial magistrate, Ms Gladys Kamasanyu, did not follow the normal procedure for recording Isiko’s plea of guilty, which illegality resulted in a wrongful conviction.
Justice Abodo as well ordered for a retrial of Isiko before another magistrate, the hearing is ongoing
bndagirel@ug.nationmedia.com
