A Ugandan court has ordered a US couple to compensate their foster child with $26,000 for mistreating him.
The compensation comes as part of a plea deal that also led to the court dropping charges of aggravated trafficking and torture against the couple, which could have resulted in life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The couple, Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer, were arrested last year and accused of subjecting a 10-year-old boy to cruel treatment over a span of two years.
The allegations arose after the child’s nanny filed a police report, claiming that the couple repeatedly treated the child inhumanely.
On Tuesday, the Spencers pleaded guilty to charges of cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment, working without proper permits, and staying in Uganda unlawfully.
As a result, they were fined 4.86 million Ugandan shillings.
Child rights activists have expressed their disappointment and frustration with Tuesday’s ruling, considering it a “mockery of justice.” Proscovia Najjumba, an activist, questioned how the court allowed the couple to avoid severe penalties despite admitting to mistreating a child.
According to court documents, the couple made the child eat cold food, sleep on a bare wooden platform without bedding, and forced him into uncomfortable positions.
