Iganga HIV man held over defilement of mentally unstable girl

 By Moses Bikala

Police in Iganga are holding a 56-year-old man for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old mental health patient.

The accused, Sabastian Bambale is a resident of Nabitinde Banda village in Nambale sub county. According to sources the victim had accompanied the suspect to Bugono health center 4  to pick anti-retroviral drugs on Saturday from where he was arrested after health personnel alerted police.

The accused who is HIV positive has reportedly been getting antiretroviral drugs (ARV) from the same health for the past three years. Bambale was arrested after the victim told the health personnel that the accused was her husband.

The officer in charge CID at Iganga central police station Mathew Otuu said the accused was re-examined and tested HIV positive. Apparently, the suspect is accused of luring the girl into sex by offering her sh500 whenever he has an encounter with her.

Otuu said the accused is to soon appear in court answer charges of aggravated defilement.

The vitims mother said the accused who is a  neighbour to the suspect said her daughter often frequents his home claiming she was helping him fetch water in addition to washing his clothes. Two of the suspect's wives succumbed to AIDS  four years ago