Ugandan maid guilty of assaulting toddler

A maid in Uganda who was secretly filmed beating a little girl has been found guilty of assaulting the toddler.

Jolly Tumuhirwe, 22, previously told the court she had been driven to attack the 18-month-old because the child’s mother had beaten her – something the mother denies.

A video of the assault caused outrage when it was posted online.

Earlier charges of torture were dropped after prosecutors said they could not be easily proven.

Tumuhirwe now faces up five years in jail for committing assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She is due to be sentenced on Monday.

The abuse came to light when the child’s father, Eric Kamanzi, installed a camera in his home after noticing his daughter was bruised and limping.

The graphic footage, taken from a camera hidden in the corner of the living room, shows Tumuhirwe hitting the child when she resists feeding and then throwing her to the floor, beating her with a torch before stepping on her and kicking her.

The footage of the abuse has been seen or shared thousands of times on social media.

Leaving the court on Friday, the child’s mother, Angella Mbabazi, told the BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga in Kampala that she had not beaten the maid.

She said would not have been able to leave her daughter in her care if that was true.

On Monday, Tumuhirwe asked the court, the parents and Ugandans to forgive her.

Mr Kamanzi broke down in tears when the maid offered her apology.

BBC