A Ugandan court has charged an American couple with child trafficking, and if convicted, they could face life in prison.
RELATED STORIES: Funeral Of 7-Year-Old Texas Girl Who Was Kidnapped And Killed By FedEx Driver Takes Place One Week After Her Death
Mackenzie Leing Mathias Spencer and Nicholas Spencer were accused of torturing a 10-year-old boy in their care. According to investigators, the child was kept in a small, cold room without clothes and cameras were placed in the room to monitor his “stubborn” behavior. Per the court documents, the boy has been tortured on a regular basis since 2020 and has been forced to sit in “awkward” positions such as laying with his legs spread apart and facing the floor. According to a worker, the boy was forced to eat cold food.
Meanwhile, the couple was previously charged with aggravated torture after the worker at the home alerted police to the situation. They pleaded not guilty to the torture charge and will have the opportunity to plead not guilty to the new charge.The couple fostered three children, including the ten-year-old boy, and the two children are currently in police custody.
RELATED STORIES: OMG! 8 Injured In NYPD Evidence Warehouse Fire That Destroyed 30 Years Worth Of Evidence, Including Items In Unsolved Cases
Investigators said they believe the child endured more torture sessions away from the camera.
“Our team of investigators established that the couple kept the victim barefoot and naked throughout the day, would occasionally make him squat in an awkward position, with his head facing the floor and hands spread out widely, he spent his nights on a wooden platform, without a mattress or bedding and was served cold meals from the fridge. We believe the victim could have endured more severe acts of torture, away from the camera.”
According to the Daily Beast, Spencer worked for NGO MOTIV Uganda and his wife worked alongside him. She launched a GoFundMe page in 2019 asking for $35,000 after moving to Uganda. She said she was reportedly suffering from joint and spinal issues, leading her to set up the page to help with her medical expenses.
“After reviewing a CT of my spine, it was determined I would need to undergo an emergency surgery to resolve the problem. We scheduled my surgery as soon as possible (the end of September). I moved to East Africa nearly 3 years ago with my husband, Nick, and we have been doing humanitarian work focused on women’s empowerment and education. We are also foster parents to 3 incredible children. Because we live abroad, we do not have health insurance in the US which means every medical expense for this surgery must be paid out of pocket.”
“Their lawyer, Leila Saaliwulide, called the charges a “fishing expedition” and claimed they didn’t have any evidence. She also filed a request for the couple to be released on bail since they had ailments that couldn’t be treated in jail. Prosecutor Joan Keko argued that the couple faces the likelihood of serving life in prison.
“They have no community or family ties in Uganda, and the offense with which they are charged currently is of grave nature attracting a penalty of life imprisonment, therefore their likelihood to abscond from bail is really, really high,”