The Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction of former primary school teacher Milton Muhwezi for aggravated defilement but reduced his 30-year prison sentence to 20 years.

The court ordered that the period Muhwezi had spent on remand, amounting to three years, six months and 14 days, be deducted from the sentence, leaving him to serve 16 years, five months and 16 days.

Muhwezi was convicted of defiling his 14-year-old sister-in-law, Atukwatse Shaminah, while working as a teacher at God’s Grace Primary School in Ntungamo District.

According to court records, the abuse began in 2017 when the victim was still a pupil under his authority. The offences reportedly continued for about three years, during which the victim became pregnant twice. Muhwezi allegedly gave her drugs to terminate both pregnancies.

The case came to light after the victim developed severe bleeding following the second abortion, prompting her grandmother, Mpumwire Lillian, to investigate before reporting the matter to police.

In their judgment, Justices Cheborion Barishaki, Oscar Kihika and Stella Alibateese dismissed Muhwezi’s argument that he no longer exercised authority over the victim because she had stopped attending school.

The justices held that his position of authority and trust, arising from the teacher-pupil relationship and family connection, remained relevant to the circumstances of the offence.

Muhwezi had challenged his conviction, disputing the evidence presented by the prosecution and arguing that the sentence was excessive. However, the appellate court found no sufficient grounds to overturn the conviction.

In considering the sentence, the court took into account his status as a first-time offender but also considered the aggravating circumstances, including the victim’s age, the repeated sexual abuse, the two pregnancies and abortions, and his position as both a teacher and brother-in-law.

Muhwezi was convicted by the High Court in Mbarara in August 2023 and sentenced to 30 years in prison in September of the same year. He subsequently appealed against both the conviction and sentence.