Turkish pedophile could be charged with defilement

By Vision reporter

The Director of Public Prosecution is expected to file defilement charges against the convicted Turkish pedophile, Emin Baro who was freed on Thursday by a Kampala Court after paying a sh6m fine.

Jane Okuo Kajuga, the Directorate spokesperson said on Thursday that the DPP was considering pressing new charges against Baro.

Baro, 54, faces a possible death sentence if convicted of defilement.

Baro was re-arrested last evening just after he had been released from prison after paying a sh6m fine for subjecting two Ugandan minors to oral sex.

Baro was on March 27, charged  under the Computer Misuse Act,  section 23(4) which stipulates that a person who produces child pornography for purpose s of  distribution through computer , commits an offence  and is liable  on conviction  to 15 years imprisonment or  a fine not exceeding three hundred  and sixty currency points ( equivalent of sh7.2m).

Prosecution said Baro was found in possession of videos showing two children sucking his genitals. Baro pleaded guilty and the presiding magistrate sentenced him to a fine of sh6m or in default he was supposed to serve two years imprisonment.  Baro has since paid the fine.

Confession

Baro told court that he used to pay the children between sh5, 000 and sh10, 000 to suck his genitals. He said he would get children, take them to his residence and ask them to do what he wanted.

“I would then use the pictures on my home page (social media) but I never had any other motive,” he claimed. Prosecution alleges that Baro was nabbed on March 12, at Bugumba village in Iganga district.

Court appearance

The defense lawyer, Emmanuel Ilukor, asked court to give the accused a light sentence of deporting him back to his country because he is a foreigner.

“The accused has shown remorsefulness. His family is missing him since he is the sole bread winner” Ilukol told court.

Magistrate Ngabirano, while sentencing Baro, said she meted out a light sentence because the accused pleaded guilty without wasting court’s time.

“You have pleaded guilty and it is the reason I will be lenient. Pornography is unacceptable in our society,” Ngabirano said, before sentencing him to a fine of 300 currency points (equivalent to sh6m) or imprisonment for 2 years. He was by yesterday still in Luzira prison as he failed to pay the fine.

On his arrest, Police initially suspected him to be involved in child trafficking.

Criminal record

New Vision has learnt that Baro was in Kenya before he moved to Uganda. He was also suspected to have been in Tanzania at some point in time.

In January 2009, Baro was charged before a Malindi court in Kenya after he was found allegedly having sex with a 15- year old Kenyan girl.

He was charged before Malindi Senior Resident Magistrate Dominica Nyanibu and denied the charge, according to the Kenyan media.

It was alleged that Baro, on the night of January 8 and 9 2009, at Kenya Mpya Lodging in Malindi town in Malindi district, defiled a 15-year-old girl.

The Kenya media at the time quoted Malindi police chief, John Kariuki, as saying that Baro confessed that the girl had been handed to him by her mother to teach her sex and marry her when she turned 18.

But the girl’s mother denied the claims, saying Baro had instead offered to help the pupil get admission to a school in Machakos.

The Kenyan police found Baro naked inside one of the rooms of the brothel after forcing the door open as the girl, who was also naked, lay in bed.

After he was charged, Baro was released on court bail. It is not clear when and how Baro moved to Uganda.