Jailed Judge Mugambe Faces Early Deportation Under New UK Prison Rules

The UK government has unveiled sweeping reforms to fast-track the deportation of foreign criminals, a move that could see Ugandan High Court judge Lydia Mugambe-Ssali sent home sooner than expected following her conviction for modern slavery.

Under the new deportation and sentencing reforms expected to be tabled this week, foreign offenders will now be removed “as soon as operationally possible” after conviction, regardless of whether they have completed half their prison sentence.

Previously, deportation only applied after serving a portion of the sentence, especially for crimes attracting more than 12 months in prison.

The new policy, part of a wider immigration overhaul, targets a broad category of offenders—including burglars, drug dealers, and those convicted of violent crimes—who will no longer be allowed to serve their full sentences in Britain.

Those convicted of crimes like modern slavery, such as Mugambe, will fall squarely within the remit of these stricter rules.

Justice Mugambe, 50, was in March 2025 sentenced to six years and four months by Oxford Crown Court for exploiting a Ugandan woman trafficked into the UK under false pretenses.

The court found she held the victim in servitude as a maid and nanny at a private residence in Oxfordshire and conspired to violate immigration laws.

The Home Office has emphasized that under the new arrangements, it will be notified of all foreign nationals convicted of offences, not just those sentenced to prison.

The reforms also allow for faster visa cancellations and stricter refusals for re-entry, especially for crimes involving violence against women—an area under which Mugambe’s conviction clearly falls.

Since July 2024, over 3,500 foreign criminals have already been removed, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says the system must go further.

“It is a basic requirement – those who come to the UK should abide by our laws. The rules need to be respected and enforced,” she said.

"The system for returning foreign criminals has been far too weak for too long. Already we have increased the number of foreign national offenders being removed since the election. But we need much higher standards. The rules need to be respected and enforced."

She said it is long overdue for the UK to "restore control" so that net migration comes down and proper standards and order are returned.

As part of the white paper, the government will also update refusal policies and immigration rules to mirror these changes.

This means if a person commits an offence while on a short-term visa, they will be refused if they make a fresh application.

Mugambe’s case, which drew wide public interest both in the UK and Uganda, could now set a precedent under the new deportation regime.

Last month, Justice minister Norbert Mao told Parliament that Uganda had signed a prisoner transfer agreement with the UK, potentially making Mugambe a “beneficiary.”

Mao revealed that President Museveni was sympathetic to Mugambe’s plight, claiming she acted in good faith by helping a former domestic worker relocate.

The transfer deal allows convicts to serve the remainder of their sentence in Uganda, where they are closer to their families.

“This enables such convicts to be accessible to their wives, children and other relatives who have a right to visit them,” Mao told legislators, who specifically referenced Mugambe’s case during debate.

The UK's proposed legal changes and clamp down on foreign nationals who abuse its laws would most likely see Mugambe on a plane back home.

David Gauke, the former Tory justice secretary who is heading the review, has also recommended giving ministers powers for earlier deportations of foreign criminals jailed for more than three years.

Under the changes, the Government would be able to remove them after they had served just 30 per cent of the custodial part of their sentence rather than 50 per cent.

This would mean Judge Mugambe could be deported by June next year if the nature of her sentence - custodial - that said she only spends three years in jail was applied.