Advocates of rights of persons living with disabilities (PWDs) have expressed frustrations with the dragging of the aggravated defilement case against former Kyambogo University lecturer.
Dr Lawrence Eron was on July 6 charged with aggravated defilement of a 16-year-old visually impaired girl and on Thursday, his trial could still not take off as prosecution asked for more time to investigate the matter.
But PWDs rights advocates argue that the delays are a severe injustice to the victim and undermines the fight against sexual violence.
This as the Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court presided over by Christine Nantege adjourned the trial until July 31 to allow further investigations.
Dr Eron, 56, allegedly defiled a 16-yr-old visually student appeared before the Nakawa Chief Magistrate court alongside a number of disability rights advocates.
"The investigation is slow yet there is enough evidence, let justice be done quickly, this is a vulnerable girl," Ms Rose Achayo, a PWDs rights advocate and activist, said.
"If they don't give her justice, they will be negotiating her death penalty because she is already traumatised, so we as women rights disability movement, we are here to make sure we advocate for justice."
Outside court after adjournment, women were seen holding placards with messages such as 'stop sexual and gender-based violence', 'speed up cases of people with disabilities', among others.
A resource manager at Legal Action for PWD's, Peace Sserunkuma, says police didn't take the case seriously citing the bond that was given to the alleged perpetrator.
"This case was not taken seriously by police from when police gave Eron bond, because he disappeared and we have been looking for him for eight months," he said.
"We are glad he was found but how would you give someone charged with aggravated defilement, a serious case like this. We hope the court system speeds up this case to give justice to the visually impaired girl."
PWDs called upon court and other institutions to consider special arrangement for accessibility since they find it hard to access some places.
The suspect was first arrested on October 23, 2023, but was released four days later after his file was sent to Kira State Attorney's office.
He was then sent back to police with calls for more investigations and DNA testing, although the police medical report had confirmed penetration.
This was after the DNA samples that were recovered from the suspects' car, a Toyota Wish registration number UBA 349Z, matched with the samples found on the body of the victim.
