Ugandan maid bags 4 years jail for abusing toddler

A Ugandan maid has been jailed for four years for abusing a toddler in a case that shocked the country after a graphic video of the assault was made public.

The 22-year-old maid, Jolly Tumuhiirwe, originally pleaded guilty last week to torture, but later the charge was reduced to abuse, to which she also pleaded guilty to on Friday.

Tumuhiirwe on Monday remained apparently emotionless as her sentence was handed down in a court in Kampala.

Chief Magistrate Lillian Buchan told Tumuhiirwe she had committed an ‘unjustifiable and inexcusable’ crime.

She gave her a four-year sentence due to the ‘ruthlessness exhibited’ on an ‘innocent, helpless child.’

The maid, was filmed beating, kicking and stamping on the 18-month-old child.

On Friday, she said the attack was revenge after she was beaten by the child’s mother.

The mother denied beating her. Earlier charges of torture were dropped.

The video footage, which prompted the case, came from a camera the child’s father, Eric Kamanzi, had installed in his home after noticing his daughter was bruised and limping.

He reported the abuse to police last month and circulated the video online to family members. The footage was later shared more widely, provoking horror and upset internationally.

After the sentencing, Mr Kamanzi said: “It’s not for us to decide the punishment for what she committed”.

“We hope this has set an example for other maids out there, that you can’t just go to someone’s house and torture their baby and expect to walk out,” AFP reports

Police have recommended that parents do background checks with friends, neighbours, local police, council and previous employers before taking on nannies or maids given these responsibilities.