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Dismissed Kyambogo don sedated visually impaired girl to defile her – State
Kyambogo University lecturer Dr Eron Lawrence at Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court on July 5, 2024. PHOTO/JULIET KIGONGO
What you need to know:
- State evidence prompted the presiding chief magistrate to commit the accused person to the High Court for trial.
Dismissed deputy Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor for finance and administration, Dr Eron Lawrence, sedated a visually impaired 16-year-old secondary student and defiled her, the State told court on Wednesday.
In the summary of evidence presented to the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court presided by Christine Nantege, the State Wednesday stated that the victim with other three girls, jointly with Dr Eron, came from a conference in Nairobi, Kenya through Entebbe Airport on October 9, 2023.
It is alleged that upon arrival at Entebbe Airport, the then senior lecturer ar Kyambogo University offered to drop each of the girls to their respective destinations. The victim told him to drop her at TUSU petrol station in Namugongo, where her people would pick her.
According to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Dr Eron instead offered to drop the victim to her home saying “he had something to tell her while seated in the co-driver’s seat.”
It is alleged that when the girl told Dr Eron that she was feeling thirsty, he gave her a bottle of water to quench her thirst which made her black out and by the time she regained her senses, she found herself in the back seat of the parked vehicle.
“That the accused gave the victim a tablet (drug) and told her to take it, telling her that it was an emergency pill and it would not be good after 72 hours. The victim then took it and realized that her knickers were wet and she felt pain in her genitals,” reads in part the summary of the case.
According to court documents, the victim suspected that the lecturer had defiled her and asked him, but Dr Eron kept quiet and drove until he dropped her home where he spent some time conversing with the victim’s aunt before leaving.
It is alleged that the girl’s passport was retrieved and exhibited with her clothes before the accused was summoned to police where upon interrogation, he denied the allegations but admitted giving the victim a bottle of water on the night of October 12, 2023.
“The motor vehicle of the accused was impounded where two handkerchiefs, silver pack containing one tablet, plastic containers and other items were recovered and exhibited,” reads the court document submitted after the State Tuesday told court that investigations into the case were complete.
State evidence prompted Chief Magistrate Nantege to commit the accused person to the High Court for trial “at the next convenient session.”
According to the charge sheet, the State alleges that on October 12, 2023 between Kyambogo University and Namugongo Nsawo Village in Wakiso District, Dr Eron performed a sexual act with the 16-year-old while he was HIV positive and as a person in authority over her.
Court documents indicate that Dr Eron committed the crime while he was a dean of the Faculty of Special Needs and Rehabilitation and the victim was a student in a secondary school in Mukono District.
The DPP intends to rely on a report which revealed that the lecturer’s DNA was on the victim’s knickers and sweater-like trouser which she had put on the fateful day.
Prosecution is also counting on a medical form indicating that the lecturer was mentally normal and HIV positive.
Among more evidence is a toxicological analysis report that revealed the lecturer had swallowed a male dysfunctional drug in order to defile the victim, CCTV analysis report, a mustard yellow/brown sweater like trouser of the victim, police form 3A of the victim, a silver pack containing one yellow tablet recovered from the motor vehicle of the accused, exhibit slips, search certificate and passport of the victim.
