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US couple in Uganda face charges that carry possible death penalty

Street scenes Kampala, Uganda
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A couple from the United States face multiple charges in Uganda related to the abuse of a minor, with at least one of the charges carrying a possible death sentence penalty.

Reuters reported that the 32-year-olds, Nicholas Spencer and his wife Mackenzie Leigh Mathias Spencer, were charged in the country's Buganda road court in Kampala with torturing a 10-year-old.

The court levied the charges of aggravated torture, and then the additional charge of of aggravated child trafficking based on allegations of their conduct with the minor identified as John Kayima. The latter charge carries a possible death penalty punishment if convicted.

A state prosecutors in Uganda objected to an application from the couple and said they were in Uganda illegally on expired work permits.

The couple reportedly came to Uganda in 2017, then a year later fostered three children.