HIV blood nurse appeals jail sentence

By Michael Odeng

Rosemary Namubiru, a nurse who was sentenced for injecting a 2-year old baby with a needle contaminated with HIV blood has appealed against her three year jail sentence and conviction.

Namubiru 24, through her lawyer Ladilus Rwakafuzi is challenging her conviction and sentence on grounds that court was unfair on her. The nurse filed the notice of appeal at the High Court in Kampala.
 
Speaking to the New Vision Wednesday, Rwakafuzi said they appealed on grounds that the offence Namubiru was charged with does not relate to HIV but to contagious diseases such as Ebola and measles. She also applied for bail pending hearing of her appeal.

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Namubiru's relatives react after she was sentenced to three years in prison by Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Olive Kazaarwe on May19, 2014

Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Olive Kazaarwe Mukwaya  on May 19 this year convicted and sentenced Namubiru after she was found guilty of unlawfully doing a negligent act of spreading the infectious disease.
 
Prosecution told court that Namubiru unlawfully and negligently injected a baby with a needle contaminated with her HIV blood while knowing the action could likely spread the infection of HIV, a disease dangerous to life. Namubiru pricked her index finger before using the same cannula to prick the vein of the baby.
 
The nurse committed the offence on January 7, 2014 at Victoria Medical Center located at lumumba avenue in Kampala.
The trial magistrate convicted Namubiru after prosecution led by Lillian Omara closed her case with nine witnesses who pinned Namubiru.
 
Namubiru was arrested by police on January 7, 2014 after the parents of the baby pinned her saying that she first pricked herself and then turned the needle on the infant.
 
Meanwhile after the sentence, Namubiru’s case raised public debate and the human rights activists condemned the act, saying Namubiru did not deserve such a sentence and she was stigmatization.