Mitooma woman under probe after 46 needles recovered from stepson's stomach

MITOOMA - A woman in Uganda's western district of Mitooma is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly forcing her eight-year-old stepson to swallow needles.

Police are investigating the case.

The suspect, who is still in Police custody, is Juliet Tushabeomwe, a resident of Rweibare II village in Kyanzire parish in Kashenshero town council.

She was arrested last Friday (May 1) and is currently detained at Mitooma Central Police Station as investigations continue.

“We arrested the suspect to assist with investigations into allegations that the child was forced to swallow needles. She has been charged with attempted murder as investigations continue,” said Godfrey Achiria, the Greater Bushenyi sub-region police commander.

According to preliminary police findings, the child had been suffering severe abdominal pain for nearly two weeks, prompting his aunt, Birungi Eunice, to seek medical attention for him.

Examinations at Gava Imaging Centre and Ishaka Adventist Hospital, including an X-ray and CT scan, are said to have revealed metallic objects inside the child’s stomach.

He was later referred to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, where he is currently admitted in the paediatric ward and receiving specialised treatment following surgery.

Medical sources indicate that 46 needles have so far been removed, with further procedures expected depending on the child’s recovery.

Efforts to get a comment from the hospital through the public relations officer were unsuccessful.

Police reports suggest the incident may have occurred about two weeks earlier in Rweibare village.

Investigators say the child lived with his stepmother following the separation of his biological parents.

It remains unclear how the needles ended up in the young boy's body.

His biological father, Simon Twinomugisha, told police that tensions in their home escalated after the accused woman allegedly became unhappy over the boy’s communication with his biological mother.

“My wife did not want my son to speak to his mother. She would tell me to stop him or else she would chase him away to go to his mother,” he said.

Umar Muhanguzi, the Mitooma deputy resident district commissioner, urged the public to report suspected cases of child abuse promptly.

“We condemn this alleged act of violence against a child and urge the public to report suspected child abuse cases without delay."