Mechanic jailed over murder of Ugandan lawyer in UK

A mechanic in the UK has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a Ugandan lawyer based in the UK.

Elizabeth Nnyanzi, 31, a Ugandan trainee lawyer in London, who first worked at the Herbert Smith Freehill law firm in the UK, was murdered in August last year.

According to British media, the presiding judge at Old Bailey, Judge Richard Marks QC, sentenced Peter Kibisu, 24, to imprisonment after finding him guilty of rape and murder. He described his actions as "unspeakable wickedness".

According to the prosecution, Kibisu in August last year attacked Nnyanzi in her bedroom after he returned from a drink and drug-fuelled night out. He then raped and strangled her.

Kibisu, who worked at a BMW dealership in London as a mechanic, pretended not to have anything to do with her death as he tried to report the case to the police.

Prosecution said after Kibisu committed the heinous act, he tried to call the police, claiming he had found Nnyanzi unconscious after returning from work.

According to the Daily Telegraph, court also relied on the evidence of Kibisu's DNA, which was found under Nnyanzi's fingernails to convict him.

Prosecution said the evidence indicated that Nnyanzi tried to fight back during the attack.

Nnyanzi lived in London with her family.

After studying medicine at Imperial College, she decided to follow in her father's (Joseph Nnyanzi) footsteps as a lawyer.

She worked for a number of charities and was also said to be a keen singer who had been asked to perform in an opera at the Royal Albert Hall.

Family and friends described her as a "beautiful and talented" young woman. Before leaving for London, Nnyanzi was involved in charity work at Mulago Hospital, Kampala in 2005.