The six youths who were captured in a homosexual video in Jinja district have been denied bail due to a lack of letters of support from their village councils.
The letters are required to help the courts obtain authentic information about their places of abode. The accused persons; Geoffrey Ibanda, Sadic Wassajja, Sadat Kamya, Fabian Kalungi, Hamza Katamba and Brian Kiiza were arrested for allegedly involving themselves in acts of indecency and procuring gross indecency.
Police said that the youths, who were arrested from the Mpumudde zone in Jinja, were part of a sexual network that was grooming young boys into acts of sodomy and recruiting male adults into gay practices. They had allegedly recorded pornographic and sex videos and streamed live sessions, which they submitted to donors for funding.
According to the police, the youths were found with 192 sackets of lubricants, shirts and stags with LGBTQ logos, a metallic banner of peace and comfort with the LGBTQ flag. They were arraigned before the Magistrate’s court in Jinja and remanded to Kirinya prison.
On Monday, they presented 12 sureties before grade one magistrate Yafesi Ochieng and argued that it was prudent for the court to grant them partial freedom because bail is a constitutional right and they are still presumed innocent. The accused persons further informed the court that they are peer educators whose sureties, who are largely biological relatives, lack the financial strength for cash bail.
The prosecution however asked the court for tougher bail terms on grounds that the youngsters did not have clear documentation, detailing information about their fixed places of residence on release. In a rebuttal, the accused persons argued that they are currently incarcerated with no contact with their local leaders and that they can only access the letters while out of detention.
However, Ochieng dismissed the argument, arguing that, the regulation was set by the court, well aware that such letters can be secured by the accused persons’ relatives, who have clear information concerning their fixed places of abode.
Ochieng also argued that the cases against the accused persons surround public morality and have since attracted public interest, which requires them to properly identify their residences.
He added that although the court is mandated to safeguard the accused persons, releasing them in a biased society cannot guarantee their safety. He has since adjourned the matter until May 10.
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