Nine-year-old helps police arrest rapist

Two children trusted Julius Nabundesi. But he betrayed the trust and stole 11-year-old Trisha’s innocence

Nabundesi forces Trisha onto his bed and defiles her.

On July 26, 2014 when Renda*, 9 and Trisha*, 11, retired from school, the last thing they expected was trouble.

As they played in the neighbourhood at about 6pm, Julius Nabundesi, 20, a peasant and a resident of Shamuyi village, Shakiku Parish in Bulucheke Sub-county, Bududa district invited them to his house promising to give them Shs500 each and sugarcane.

The victims, both pupils of Shamuyi Primary School, followed Nabundesi to his house, 200m away from the victims’ house. When they got in, he brought them sugarcane.

After the duo had eaten the sugarcane, Nabundesi invited Trisha to his bedroom to go pick the money and asked Renda to get out of the house if she wanted to get her share of the money.

As soon as Renda walked out, Nabundesi grabbed Trisha’s hand and threw her on the bed. The little girl raised an alarm, forcing Renda to run back into the house to find out what was happening to her friend.

Nabundesi had over powered Trisha and was forcefully having sex with her.
Renda was too young to help so she ran out to ask for help. She narrated the incident to the neigbours but they brushed it off as a joke and did not bother to confirm if the allegation was true.

“I have seen Nabundesi on top of Renda in his bedroom and Renda is crying,” the girl narrated before returning to the perpetrator’s house.
As his victim continued to raise an alarm, he threatened to harm her if she didn’t stop screaming.

After completing his mission, he ordered the girls to leave his house and go back to their homes and told them not to breathe a word about the incident to anyone.

Later, residents started gathering after seeing the victim leaving Nabundesi’s house in tears, but it was too late, Nabundesi had already disappeared.
The victim’s mother, Jolly*, returned home only to find her daughter walking with difficulty.

According to police, the mother reported that on asking why the girl was walking awkwardly, she said Nabundesi had forced her into sexual intercourse.
Jolly found semen spilled on her daughter’s body.

On July 27, 2014, the victim’s father Kala* reported the matter to Bukalasi Police Station under CRB 738/2014. Since it was a capital offence, the file was taken to Bududa Central Police Station on orders of the head of the area Criminal Investigation Department officer, Mr Henry Akera.

Mr Akera assigned D/Cpl Stephen Wagonya to handle the case and ensure the suspect is arrested and faces the law.
D/Cpl Wagonya embarked on the investigation - he visited the scene and recording statements of the victim and witness.
Detectives recorded a statement from Renda, the 11-year-old girl who witnessed the incident.

The girl confirmed to the officers that the suspect raped her colleague after promising them money and sugarcane.
Detectives later went to the victim’s home and she gave details of how Nabundesi nearly ended her life.

She [victim] told a team of detectives that before Nabundesi grabbed her, he first promised to give her Shs1,000 and three sugarcanes, if she accepted to have sex with him.

Arrested 
Nabundesi was on the run. However, with the help of residents, police arrested him at his friend’s house where he was hiding.
After his arrest, he was taken to Bududa Central Police Station.
Detective Wagonya took both the girl and the suspect to Dr Bernabus Rubanza, a police surgeon at Mbale hospital, for examination.