Judge excuses young man from serving 10 years in jail

By Babirye Sania

Kampala High court judge Anthony Ayuko Ajok has rejected a 10 year jail term that had been given to a youth by state under plea bargaining for killing his step father in self defense and sending his mother a way.

Freddie Erasokota accepted the offence of manslaughter in which he accepted to have stabbed his step father Matovu Kames after he found him beating his mother.

However, when state informed Justice Ajok Ayuko about the punishment agreed, the judge wondered why a child who was trying to save his mother from an abusive stepfather would be jailed 10 years yet their was no malice aforethought.

The judge has now reduced the sentence to six years and after removing the time he has been on remand, the convict will now serve 4 years and 8 months imprisonment for killing his step father.

Justice Ajok Ayuko relied on evidence including the fact that the deceased was always beating the convicts mother and that on that fateful day of 16th August 2019 at Rubaga in Kampala district, he lost it when he saw his step father again mistreating his mother and in out of rage, he lost it and accidentally stabbed James Matovu with a knife in the stomach leading to his death.

Justice Ojok also advised the youth to behave well in the prison to enable him get a remission.