Convicted rapist ‘claims he’s gay to win asylum’
A Ugandan man serving a four-year sentence for raping a woman is reportedly seeking asylum by claiming he is gay.
John Ssewagudde, 21, was convicted of raping the woman in Glasgow last June after he admitted the attack on her Facebook page.
The Scottish Daily Record reports that while on remand, he submitted a request for asylum which says he is gay and will be killed if returned home.
Uganda is notoriously homophobic and there have been a number of high-profile asylum cases involving gay people in the last few years.
Asylum campaigners say genuine LGBT people fleeing persecution often struggle to convince immigration authorities of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
A source with knowledge of the case told the newspaper: “Ssewagudde is not gay. He is a chancer who is trying to exploit the situation in his homeland.
“Essentially he is trying to exploit the headlines from Uganda that have already brought the country international embarrassment.
“Given that he is a convicted rapist of a woman, there is a clue to his sexuality.
“He has brought disgrace to Ugandans in Scotland and he is dragging out the disgrace with his asylum bid.”
Ssewagudde was on an expired visitor’s visa when he attacked the woman last year.
Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and one MP has been pushing for the death sentence in “aggravated” cases.
