Breaking: Christopher Okello found guilty as judge rejects mental health defence

The High Court in Kampala has found Christopher Okello guilty of murdering four children, rejecting his defence that he was mentally unwell at the time of the killings.

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, April 30, Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, citing strong evidence that placed Okello at the scene of the crime.

“I light of all the evidence placing the accused person at the primary scene of crime, it is my finding that the evidence that the accused person was apprehended in the act of slaughtering the children…,” the judge said.

Justice Khauka agreed with the court assessors that the evidence presented in court clearly showed that Okello was responsible for the deaths of the four children.

“It is the finding of this court that I agree with the joint opinion of the assessors that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused person caused the death of the four children,” she ruled.

“There is ample evidence to prove malice aforethought because there would be no other inference that a person pounces on defenceless innocent babies and cuts their necks like a goat or a chicken… other than that of malice aforethought,” she said.

Okello’s defence team had argued that he suffered from a mental illness and should not be held criminally responsible.

However, the court found no credible evidence to support this claim.

“In the absence of any medical evidence to support the claim of insanity this court would have expected at least evidence from a family member of the accused person to speak to his alleged mental illness,” Justice Khauka said.

“If it were true that the accused person had a disease of mind, his mother or father would have been eager to come to this court to ally this information,” she added.

The court convicted Okello on four counts of murder.

“The accused person is accordingly found guilty of the murder of Eteku Gideon in count one, Kaise Alungat in count two, Ignatius Sserwange in count three and Ryan Odeke in count four,” the judge ruled.

“I hereby convict the accused of the offence of murder contrary to sections 171 and 172 of the Penal Code Act.”

The courtroom erupted into applause immediately after the verdict was delivered, reflecting the intensity of the case and public interest.

Earlier, some of the parents of the victims were overwhelmed with emotion as the judgment was being read, with one collapsing and being rushed to hospital.

The court later suspended proceedings and announced that sentencing will be delivered in the afternoon.