A woman who says she was raped, tortured and beaten after being imprisoned for homosexuality in her homeland of Uganda is fighting to stay in Britain, where she fled for safety.

The UK government has refused to grant asylum to Prossy Kakooza, 26, and ordered her to be deported.

Kakooza appealed for help from British LGBT equality groups and an appeal in her case is expected to be heard later this month.

Kakooza told the Lesbian and Gay Foundation that she was handed over to Ugandan police by her brother when he found her with her girlfriend of five years. While in prison she said that she was subjected to multiple rapes and branded with red hot meat skewers on her thighs by drunken police officers.

"I'm still receiving counseling at a rape crisis centre," she said."I have nightmares every night and I don't think I will ever get over what happened to me."

Anti-gay attacks are commonplace in Uganda but have increased since last August when Ugandan LGBT rights groups for the first time held a public news conference to demand basic civil rights. Many of the participants wore disguises out of fears of government reprisals.

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