Footage shows UN judge claiming ‘immunity’ to police before slavery conviction

A United Nations judge who forced a young woman to work as her slave told police “I even have immunity”, as they arrested her at her home, bodycam footage shows.

Lydia Mugambe, 49, was found to have taken “advantage of her status” over her victim in the “most egregious way”, by preventing her from holding down steady employment and forcing her to work as her maid and to provide free childcare.

In footage released by Thames Valley Police, Mugambe appeared shocked when an officer said he was arresting her under the Modern Slavery Act.

Asked to reaffirm that she had immunity, Mugambe told the officer: “Yes, I have a diplomatic passport.”

The conversation ended with the defendant saying: “I came here as a student, I don’t need anyone to work for me.

“I didn’t come with her, she asked me because she has worked at my home before, she asked me.”

As the verdicts were given there were gasps from the public gallery, Mugambe appeared unwell and the court was cleared.

Caroline Haughey KC, prosecuting, told jurors during the trial: “Lydia Mugambe has exploited and abused (her alleged victim), taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights to properly paid employment and deceiving her as to the purpose of her coming to the UK.”

Jurors accepted the prosecution’s case that Mugambe, who was studying for a law PhD at the University of Oxford, had engaged in “illegal folly” with Ugandan deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa, in which they conspired to arrange for the young woman to come to the UK.

Jurors also accepted that the defendant conspired to intimidate the woman to have her withdraw her support for the prosecution, or the charges against her to be dropped.

The charge said Mugambe contacted a pastor to assist in making contact with the young Ugandan woman, arranged for members of the woman’s family to be contacted so they could persuade her to drop the case, and arranged for an email to be sent directly to her.

Mugambe’s trial heard she had the intention of “obtaining someone to make her life easier and at the least possible cost to herself”.

The young woman Mugambe tricked into coming to the UK, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court previously she felt “lonely” and “stuck” after her working hours were limited.

According to her UN profile page, Mugambe was appointed to the body’s judicial roster in May 2023, three months after police were called to her address in Oxfordshire.

Mugambe will be sentenced at the same court on May 2.