UN judge told police alleged slave was ‘excited about the pound’

A United Nations judge told police officers a young woman who she allegedly tricked into coming to the UK to work for her as a slave was “excited about the pound”, a trial has heard.

Lydia Mugambe, who denies four charges, is accused of taking “advantage of her status” over her alleged victim in the “most egregious way”.

On Tuesday, jurors at Oxford Crown Court were shown body-worn footage of police officers attending Ms Mugambe’s address in Oxfordshire in 2023.

The alleged victim told the officers that Ms Mugambe would not let her leave the house until she paid her money for her travel to the UK.

The woman, who was found packing in a bedroom, said she had arrived in the country in July 2022 on a work visa and she did not want to stay at Ms Mugambe’s house.

Meanwhile, the defendant was downstairs telling an officer that the woman was “acting funny”, the court heard.

Ms Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, said the woman did not owe her money, that she had a key to the property and was free to go.

The defendant said she suspected the woman wanted to work for more money.

In body-worn footage, she could be heard saying: “This is what happens exactly when they come, they get excited about the pound and then they want to work much more than the terms they came on, so that’s what she wants.”

Ms Mugambe could also be heard saying: “She doesn’t want to go, who wants to go back to Africa when she can work?

“For me, I’m a judge, I’m OK but if you didn’t have much to do… she would want to stay.”

The woman said she had worked for Ms Mugambe in Uganda before she was asked to travel to the UK.

In pre-recorded evidence, the alleged victim said that Ms Mugambe had told her she could find employment outside of her childcare work.

Ms Mugambe denies conspiring to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.

The trial continues.