By Aggrey Twesigye
The High Court in Bushenyi has acquitted medical doctor Dr. Gilverse Twine of rape and incest charges involving his biological daughter, bringing to an end a case that had kept him on remand since June 2022.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Amos Kwizera, who ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Dr. Twine had engaged in sexual intercourse with his then 17-year-old daughter, a Senior Three student at Bweranyangi Girls Secondary School.
According to court records, Dr. Twine was arrested on June 29, 2022, after allegations emerged that he had impregnated his daughter following an incomplete abortion discovered by the school nurse.
During the trial, however, the daughter retracted the allegations, telling both police and the court that the pregnancy resulted from a relationship with her boyfriend and that her earlier accusations against her father had been made under the influence of her teachers.
Defence lawyer Michael Kasenene argued that the prosecution had failed to produce credible evidence and questioned the handling of the case, noting that the charges were changed from defilement to incest and later to rape, leading to Dr. Twine’s continued detention.
Justice Kwizera agreed that the evidence presented did not implicate the accused and acquitted him of both rape and incest charges.
