{An American national living in Oyam District was on Sunday arrested for allegedly raping and sexually abusing a teenage girl.}
The 49-year-old suspect who claims to be an American ex-soldier was apprehended after a tip off by concerned citizens who said he had been having an affair with the 16-year-old girl from Omach village in Ngai Sub-county.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect had no proper identification apart from a driving permit showing he was born in 1966.
The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Oyam, Ms Gillian Akullo, confirmed the investigation was launched but the adolescent girl and her parents were reluctant to cooperate.
“They (parents) wanted to cover it up. It’s only the area Local Council chairman who knew about it,” said Ms Akullo.
The girl’s parents acknowledge their daughter had for several months been sleeping in the same bed with the suspect but could not confirm they were lovers. The duo had been sleeping in a grass-thatched leaking hut.
“All along the woman knows about this but her husband wasn’t aware,” Ms Akullo said.
“Actually when we went to the scene with DISO (District Security Officer) and district CID as a team to confirm the truth, the girl told us they started their affair in Jinja Town when she was in Primary Four,” she added.
The girl, who dropped out of school in 2014, fell into the hands of the retired soldier after being taken to him as a total orphan by his brother, four years ago.
“Her brother, who was then working with the suspect as a security guard, confessed he lied to the suspect that they were total orphans because of poverty,” Ms Akullo told Daily Monitor on Tuesday.
The girl reportedly told police the American never took her to school but instead turned her into a house wife.
Oyam District Police Commander, Mr Mbusa Luka, confirmed the arrest saying the suspect was released on police bond on Monday because of his ill-health as investigations continue.
However, the suspect denies the allegations, saying he was only helping the orphaned children.
By the time of his arrest, the suspect had already started constructing a three-roomed semi-permanent house at the girl’s home village.
DAILY MONITOR
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