The High Court in Mukono has sentenced to 45 years a man for conniving with his second wife to kill his own son.
According to evidence, the incident that happened in 2014 saw David Buyinza together with one of his wives, Zaina Babirye both residents of Kasawo in Kayunga district killed his eight year old son Charles Odong and dumped the body in a nearby unfinished house.
A postmortem report indicated the eight year old boy’s neck was broken by the two leading to his death.
Following arrest and arraignment before the High Court in Mukono, Babirye pleaded guilty and was consequently given a lighter sentence of seven years after accepting to undergo plea bargaining.
On Friday, Justice Margret Mutonyi sentenced Buyinza to 45 years imprisonment for the murder.
“The convict went in to kill his own child by strangulation acting in connivance with the step mother of the child. Torturing a helpless child of 8 years unto death by parents who owe a duty of care to the child is very abhorrent. It is an act that must be condemned in the strongest terms,” justice Mutonyi said.
The judge said described the murder as gruesome and cruel that does not only call for a punitive but deterrent sentence that is aimed at protecting children in homes and society.
She said the sentence should deter would be offenders in our society and the convict.
“He subjected court to a protracted trial .He is not remorseful at all and wants to spare his own life from a long sentence by telling lies to court about his health. He claimed to have been assaulted at the police which led to his operation but there is no evidence that he had an operation scar when he was first remanded at Ntenjeru prison. This act of lying to court to attract unmerited leniency is a sign of a man whose spiritual life is dead. He has not learnt anything from pretrial remand. He is as evil and satanic as he was on the day he terminated the life of Charles Odong, his own blood and flesh. How much more can he do to a stranger.”
According to the judge, Buyinza ought to have protected his own son against the step mother but aided in the commission of the crime.
The blood of Odongo Charles must make Buyinza a wanderer, a man with no clear aim and purpose just like Cain was condemned after murdering his very own innocent brother Abel.Instead of being his son’s keeper against a step mother, he denied the God given responsibility of fatherhood. Persons with a Cain spirit, wandering spirit are better off behind bars to protect their family members from the dangerous murderous spirit. They are under a curse unless they confess and repent of the sin. Buyinza did not confess and repent by pleading guilty.”
“Ideally Buyinza deserved a death sentence because he was a person of responsibility over Odongo Charles. If not life sentence which is the next severe sentence, but because he is a first offender, he is sentenced to 45 years imprisonment period spent on remand inclusive.”
The judge said Buyinza is free to appeal against both the conviction and sentence within 14 days.
