Guilty plea in Uganda secures SA woman’s freedom
KAMPALA: A South African assistant to an American television producer who died after taking contaminated cocaine in Uganda pleaded guilty yesterday to drug possession, paid a fine and was freed, her lawyers said.
Kathryne Fuller, 29, was charged with possession of cocaine after taking drugs with producer Jeff Rice, who was found dead in a Kampala hotel on February 18.
An official toxicology report confirmed the drug was in Rice’s blood, dispelling initial suspicions that the father of two known for his work on the US show The Amazing Race had been poisoned by attackers.
“She was given the option of a fine of 1 million shillings (R3 134) or six months’ imprisonment,” Paul Rutisya, Fuller’s lawyer, told Reuters. “We paid the fine.”
Fuller was found unconscious in a hotel room at the same time that Rice’s body was discovered.
“I took cocaine and I passed out. I can’t remember what happened after that. I woke up in the hospital,” Fuller said.
Fuller has been released by authorities to go home to SA and seek medical treatment. She’s been paralysed down her right side since taking the drug and was brought to the courtroom in a wheelchair.
Police have a 23-year-old Ugandan man, who allegedly supplied the cocaine, in custody.
Moses Kalanzi was charged yesterday with manslaughter, a negligent act causing death and two drug-related offences. He pleaded not guilty.