Tororo headteacher jailed over alleged defilement

By Faustine Odeke

Court in Tororo district has sent a primary school head teacher on remand to Morukatipe Prison for allegedly defiling a 17-year-old Senior One student of Merikit Secondary School.

Appearing before Grade One magistrate Joan Ketty Acaa on Friday, John Mike Etyang was remanded until December 9.

Etyang, 49, who appeared remorseful, was not allowed to take any plea when the charge sheet was read out since the court didn’t have the jurisdiction to hear his case.

Court heard that the accused defiled the victim between June and November 2013.

Dr. Barnabas Rubanza, the police surgeon based in Mbale who conducted the medical tests on the victim on Thursday, confirmed that there were multiple penetrations into the girl’s private parts.

The head teacher was intercepted by the police at 6.00 am local time on the morning of November 14 while returning the girl back to her home reportedly from his home after allegedly spending the night together in Kipangor village in the neighboring Mollo subcounty.

He was briefly detained at Merikit Police Post before being transferred to Tororo central police station.

A few of his relatives attended the court session.

But most of his known relatives and friends did not turn up in fear of being associated with the embarrassing case.
Those who attended pleaded with journalists just outside court not to take his pictures.