Woman to spend 8 years in jail for defiling 17-year-old boy, infecting him with HIV

The High Court in Lira has sentenced a 24-year-old woman to 8 years in prison for aggravated defilement.

The convict is Sharon Aryebo, a resident of Kamdini Township in Oyam district. On Wednesday, she was convicted and sentenced on her own plea of guilty by Justice Duncan Gaswaga, the Lira Resident Judge for defiling Sula Ayo, a 17-year-old resident of the same area. 

By the time of committing the offence, the convict was 21 years old.

Court heard that 3 years ago at Kamdini Township in Oyam District, Aryebo convinced Ayo who was returning home with his brother to go to her house from where she forced him to have unprotected sex with her.

Ayo’s brother reported the incident to their mother who instead called the police to have the woman arrested. Unfortunately, upon medical tests and interrogation, Aryebo informed police that she was in a relationship with Ayo and that she was not aware of her HIV status.

But Peter Opio Amalo, the State prosecutor argued that Ayo intentionally placed the life of the boy at risk by having unprotected sex even though she would have protected him.
“The victim, in this case, is a young boy who was a student but his life was put at a very serious risk by subjecting him to unprotected sex,” says Amalo.

“The convict my Lord, is found to be HIV positive meaning that the offence is serious and it attracts death has a maximum sentence. My Lord, young boys need protection from such convicts so she has to be well punished.”

However, the defence lawyer Herbert Walusimbi told the court to consider the age gap between the convict and the victim by the time of the crime saying Aryebo did not know that the boy was only 17 years.

In his ruling, Justice Gaswaga told the court that the convict has a chance to live a responsible life ahead. However, the offence committed is a serious one and ignorance of the law at the time of the offence is immaterial.

He sentenced her to 8 years in prison. “I sentence the convict to 8 years in prison, the period spent on remand that is 1 year and 6 months should be considered as part of the sentence and you are also free to appeal against my sentence,” he said.