A Ugandan court has ordered a US couple to pay their foster child about $26,000 (£20,700) in compensation after convicting them of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.

The compensation resulted from a plea deal, which led to the court dropping charges of aggravated trafficking and torture that could have led to the two being sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The couple, Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer, were arrested last year and charged with torturing the 10-year-old boy over two years.

This is after the child’s nanny filed a police report alleging that the couple repeatedly subjected the child to inhumane treatment.

On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty to the charges of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, working without permits and staying in Uganda unlawfully, for which they were fined 4.86m Ugandan shillings ($1,285).

But Tuesday's ruling has angered some child rights activists who termed it "a mockery of justice".

Activist Proscovia Najjumba questioned how the court allowed the couple to "walk away" after accepting they had "mistreated a child", the AFP news agency reported.

Court documents showed that the couple served the child cold food, made him sleep on a bare wooden platform without bedding and forced him to squat “in an awkward position”.