The Catholic Church’s doctrine stipulates that priests must adhere to celibacy and refrain from engaging in sexual activities – Sexual Assault.
However, law enforcement officials today apprehended a Catholic clergyman in the Eastern border district of Busia.
He was charged of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.
The priest has been taken into custody at the Dabani Parish headquarters, where he serves.
He was briefly held at the Dabani Police Station before being transferred to the Busia Central Police Station.
Investigators at Dabani Police Station, who are overseeing the case have conducted examinations on the girl.
They confirm that she was subjected to sexual abuse.
Tests on the clergyman also indicate his involvement in sexual activities.
A police source revealed on Sunday that they are analyzing the suspect’s HIV status.
However, a pregnancy test on the girl yielded negative results.
Tibbs Asiimwe, the Busia District Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department Officer acknowledges the priest’s arrest on defilement allegations.
However, Asiimwe added that the clergyman was released on medical grounds due to a deterioration in his health while in custody.
Explaining the decision, Asiimwe mentions concerns about potential issues the priest might cause.
Asiimwe states that he was given bail to receive medical treatment, with plans to bring him to court later in the week.
A detective who preferred anonymity described him as appearing unsteady with exhibited tremors, likely as a result of intoxication.
A member of the victim’s family discloses that the priest was apprehended after he brought the girl back home.
This follows the girl’s disappearance for four days after completion of her Primary Leaving Examinations at a local school in the district.
The family source alleged that the priest was “drunk” when he returned with the victim thus suspecting sexual assault to the minor.
When questioned by the girl’s parents about her whereabouts, he reportedly became confrontational and left on a motorcycle.
The source stated, “The priest brought the victim back home on a motorcycle, and when we tried asking him where the girl had been, he started arguing.”
Suspecting that the priest may have harbored the girl at his residence in the parish, the family lodged a formal complaint at Dabani Police Station.
This triggers a sequence of events that led to his arrest.
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