Peter Sebina deserves the gallows for his beastly act
May 10, 2010
THE severe defilement of a seven-month-old baby in 2006 by Peter Sebina (now 30) was a ghastly, appalling, detestable, disgusting and demonic act. It shocked a country that does not get shocked that easily – given what we have gone through and seen over the years.
Karooro Okurut
THE severe defilement of a seven-month-old baby in 2006 by Peter Sebina (now 30) was a ghastly, appalling, detestable, disgusting and demonic act. It shocked a country that does not get shocked that easily – given what we have gone through and seen over the years. But what broke people’s hearts most was the punishment given to the beast – a mere 25 years – when the High Court finally disposed of the case last month.
The problem with the jail term is that going by the Prison Act, the beast – if he behaves well in jail (and they always manage to) – will get to serve just two-thirds of the punishment. That is about 15 years, after which he will be released back to society. People like that simply never stop their habits just because they have done time at “Government serviceâ€.
So for Sebina it will most probably soon be business as usual (he’ll go on the defiling spree again) as soon as he gets out of jail. But for the little girl (seven months, may God be with us!), life will simply never be the same again, after it got turned onto its head in a matter of minutes.
On September 16, 2006 her mother had excused herself out of the room to dispose of rubbish at the garbage dump – a stone’s throw away. But to her horror she returned to find the door locked. On breaking the door open, they found the baby unconscious and bleeding profusely, her genitals torn into shreds as Sebina was busy doing the unthinkable. Cry the beloved country!!
Sebina was subjected to mental examination and found to be perfectly sane. He knew exactly what he was doing. The victim, now four-and-a-half-years old, passes stool uncontrollably because of the horrific injuries she sustained.
A leading Police surgeon says the victim needs surgery to reconstruct her private parts. We are talking about millions of shillings here; plus the possibility that she may never give birth at all, which is one of the most common consequences of such cases. American crime statistics have it that on the average, more than 50 percent of the worst crimes are committed by repeat offenders who have been released back into society on parole or after serving short sentences. Parole is a system whereby prisoners who behave well are allowed to get early release after a specified number of years. The prisoner promises to heed certain conditions (usually set by a parole board) and under the supervision of a parole officer.
The presumption is that the time spent in jail and the rehabilitation services that prisoners access would have given such a one time to reflect on their mistakes and possibly even turn over a new leaf. America is one area where the law is followed to the letter. Problem though is, loopholes within the law like abolition or avoidance of the death penalty law end up defeating the whole purpose of the law. So many of the serial rapists and murderers; people who kidnap little children and slice them into even smaller pieces are chaps who have been allowed to get off lightly after committing crimes that make the ears tingle just listening to the story. Ugandan examples suggest this is true even hereabouts. Recent news in Masindi is that one Wilberforce Kakara, 56 defiled his five-year-old grand-daughter in 2008! He had just completed a 10-year jail term over similar charges. What kind of person will that girl be? What is so difficult about dispatching such beasts to their Creator? There was an attempt to declare the death penalty unconstitutional – in the case of Susan Kigula and 417 Others Vs Attorney General. Mercifully, the learned lordships of the Supreme Court threw out the case (on appeal) and merely ruled that for those respondents whose death sentences were already confirmed by the highest appellate court, their petitions for mercy under Article 121 of the constitution must be processed and determined within three years from the date of confirmation of the sentence. Where after three years no decision has been made by the executive, the death sentence shall be deemed commuted to life imprisonment without remission.
When you have criminals like that Sebina in the society you wonder why on earth somebody would think about throwing the death penalty off our statute books! As matter of fact, the courts of law ought to make use of the death penalty more often in order to send a statement to would-be offenders that if they fool around, the gallows are waiting.
As Africans we should not allow to be hoodwinked by the West – a very permissive society with rather disagreeable values – who think that just because we have little or no money, they as donors have the right to preach to us about abolishing the death penalty.
In future people who mete such beastly and despicable acts upon others should be required to compensate their victims – proceed against their estate (if they have any) or whatever else they possess before they are sent to the gallows.
Two more things. One is that parents everywhere need to take this case as yet another warning that we live with beasts that lurk amongst us and we should take greater care of our little ones. Two is that society needs to join hands to contribute to the cause of this little girl. Let us help the family raise money for the reconstructive surgery.
marykarooro@parliament.go.ug
THE severe defilement of a seven-month-old baby in 2006 by Peter Sebina (now 30) was a ghastly, appalling, detestable, disgusting and demonic act. It shocked a country that does not get shocked that easily – given what we have gone through and seen over the years. But what broke people’s hearts most was the punishment given to the beast – a mere 25 years – when the High Court finally disposed of the case last month.
The problem with the jail term is that going by the Prison Act, the beast – if he behaves well in jail (and they always manage to) – will get to serve just two-thirds of the punishment. That is about 15 years, after which he will be released back to society. People like that simply never stop their habits just because they have done time at “Government serviceâ€.
So for Sebina it will most probably soon be business as usual (he’ll go on the defiling spree again) as soon as he gets out of jail. But for the little girl (seven months, may God be with us!), life will simply never be the same again, after it got turned onto its head in a matter of minutes.
On September 16, 2006 her mother had excused herself out of the room to dispose of rubbish at the garbage dump – a stone’s throw away. But to her horror she returned to find the door locked. On breaking the door open, they found the baby unconscious and bleeding profusely, her genitals torn into shreds as Sebina was busy doing the unthinkable. Cry the beloved country!!
Sebina was subjected to mental examination and found to be perfectly sane. He knew exactly what he was doing. The victim, now four-and-a-half-years old, passes stool uncontrollably because of the horrific injuries she sustained.
A leading Police surgeon says the victim needs surgery to reconstruct her private parts. We are talking about millions of shillings here; plus the possibility that she may never give birth at all, which is one of the most common consequences of such cases. American crime statistics have it that on the average, more than 50 percent of the worst crimes are committed by repeat offenders who have been released back into society on parole or after serving short sentences. Parole is a system whereby prisoners who behave well are allowed to get early release after a specified number of years. The prisoner promises to heed certain conditions (usually set by a parole board) and under the supervision of a parole officer.
The presumption is that the time spent in jail and the rehabilitation services that prisoners access would have given such a one time to reflect on their mistakes and possibly even turn over a new leaf. America is one area where the law is followed to the letter. Problem though is, loopholes within the law like abolition or avoidance of the death penalty law end up defeating the whole purpose of the law. So many of the serial rapists and murderers; people who kidnap little children and slice them into even smaller pieces are chaps who have been allowed to get off lightly after committing crimes that make the ears tingle just listening to the story. Ugandan examples suggest this is true even hereabouts. Recent news in Masindi is that one Wilberforce Kakara, 56 defiled his five-year-old grand-daughter in 2008! He had just completed a 10-year jail term over similar charges. What kind of person will that girl be? What is so difficult about dispatching such beasts to their Creator? There was an attempt to declare the death penalty unconstitutional – in the case of Susan Kigula and 417 Others Vs Attorney General. Mercifully, the learned lordships of the Supreme Court threw out the case (on appeal) and merely ruled that for those respondents whose death sentences were already confirmed by the highest appellate court, their petitions for mercy under Article 121 of the constitution must be processed and determined within three years from the date of confirmation of the sentence. Where after three years no decision has been made by the executive, the death sentence shall be deemed commuted to life imprisonment without remission.
When you have criminals like that Sebina in the society you wonder why on earth somebody would think about throwing the death penalty off our statute books! As matter of fact, the courts of law ought to make use of the death penalty more often in order to send a statement to would-be offenders that if they fool around, the gallows are waiting.
As Africans we should not allow to be hoodwinked by the West – a very permissive society with rather disagreeable values – who think that just because we have little or no money, they as donors have the right to preach to us about abolishing the death penalty.
In future people who mete such beastly and despicable acts upon others should be required to compensate their victims – proceed against their estate (if they have any) or whatever else they possess before they are sent to the gallows.
Two more things. One is that parents everywhere need to take this case as yet another warning that we live with beasts that lurk amongst us and we should take greater care of our little ones. Two is that society needs to join hands to contribute to the cause of this little girl. Let us help the family raise money for the reconstructive surgery.
marykarooro@parliament.go.ug