A Ugandan court has ruled that a US couple, who were facing charges of torturing their foster child, must pay him $26,000 (£20,700) in compensation.
This decision was the outcome of a plea deal, which also resulted in the court dropping the more severe charges of aggravated trafficking and torture against the couple. These initial charges could have potentially led to life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
The accused couple, Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer, had been arrested the previous year and were charged with subjecting a 10-year-old boy to two years of torture.
These allegations arose after the child’s nanny filed a police report, claiming that the couple had repeatedly exposed the child to inhumane treatment.
On Tuesday, the Spencers pleaded guilty to charges of cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment, working without the necessary permits, and staying in Uganda unlawfully. As a result, they were fined 4.86 million Ugandan shillings.
But Tuesday’s ruling has angered child rights activists who termed it “a mockery of justice”.
Activist Proscovia Najjumba questioned how the court allowed the couple to “walk away” after accepting they “mistreated a child”, the AFP news agency reported.
Court documents showed that the couple served the child cold food, made him sleep on a bare wooden platform without bedding and forced him to squat “in an awkward position”.