16-year-old, Evelyn Namasopo on Wednesday narrated how she was waylaid and attacked by a machete-wielding man who cut off her hand after she resisted his attempt to rape her.
The senior two student in Bududa District, Uganda, told Mbale Chief Magistrate, Mr James Mawanda, during a session at Bubulo Magistrate’s Court in Manafwa District that the suspect Derrick Kuloba, 25, attacked her near a forest on her way home to pick beddings and food for her sick mother who had been admitted.
“He (Kuloba) started ordering me to undress and when I refused he pulled out a machete and started cutting me. He wanted to cut my head but I tried to guard it with my right hand,” she told court during hearing of a case in which Kuloba is accused of attempted murder.
Evelyn said she made an alarm hoping to get help but all her attempts were in vain.
She added that she’s still experiencing a lot of pain in different parts of her body.
The girl accused police and Mbale Court of trying to frustrate her case because Kuloba was released under unclear circumstances a few days after his arrest.
“I need justice from this court because I’m now disabled. I’m not able to do any day-to-day activities like I used to. I can’t even write,” she explained.
In her testimony, Evelyn further asked the court to give Kuloba a harsh punishment.
According to the prosecutor, the suspect, Kuloba, a resident of Nabooti Village, Nakatsi Sub-County in Bududa District, on July 4, 2020 armed with a machete, waylaid the victim and attacked her before chopping off her right hand in a failed rape attempt.
The prosecutor presented three witnesses; the victim, her cousin and uncle, adding that the girl also sustained several injuries on other parts of the body.
The victim’s mother, Ms Juliet Khainza said: “We had waited for this case to start but in vain. I want my daughter to get justice.”
Ms Khainza asked the suspect to foot her daughter’s medical bills, pending judgment, saying her family could no longer afford her medication.
The case was adjourned to April 8, 2021 when Prosecution is expected to present more witnesses in court.