The High Court in Bushenyi has acquitted medical doctor of rape and incest charges involving his biological daughter, bringing to an end a case that has been before the courts for four years.
Justice Amos Kwizera ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Dr Geleverse Twine had engaged in sexual intercourse with his then 17-year-old daughter, a Senior Three student at Bweranyangi Girls Secondary School at the time of the alleged offences.
The judge ordered Dr Twine's immediate release after finding him not guilty on both counts.
"The accused person is found not guilty, acquitted and discharged forthwith unless held on other lawful charges," the court's discharge order reads.
Court records show that Dr Twine was arrested on June 29, 2022, after allegations emerged that he had impregnated his daughter.
According to the records, the allegations arose after an incomplete abortion was reportedly discovered by a nurse at Bweranyangi Girls Secondary School.
The prosecution initially charged him with defilement before amending the charges to rape and incest during the proceedings.
Defence lawyer Michael Kasenene welcomed the judgment, saying the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence to sustain the charges.
"After reviewing the testimony of all the prosecution witnesses, the judge found that the evidence presented was insufficient to sustain the charges. The case initially began as one of defilement but was later amended to rape and incest. Dr Twine has now been acquitted after the court found him not guilty," Kasenene told TV West.
Kasenene said the complainant testified during the trial that she had not had sexual relations with her father and instead identified another person as responsible for her pregnancy.
"She admitted in court that she had been threatened into accusing her father. However, she maintained that she had been in a relationship with her boyfriend, who impregnated her. She said she gave the same statement to police, identifying the boyfriend as the father of her child and not her biological father, but despite this, the police and other authorities continued pursuing the case against her father," he said.
The lawyer also said several prosecution witnesses, including officials from Bweranyangi Girls Secondary School, did not testify during the trial.
Under Uganda's criminal justice system, an acquittal means the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, the standard required for a criminal conviction.
The ruling brings to a close a case that attracted public attention following Dr. Twine's arrest in 2022.