19770606 TZHC Dodoma
The appellant's plea did not amount to an admission of guilt but raised a bona fide claim of right, and there was no evidence to rebut this defence. The conviction was improper and could not stand.
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- 19770606 TZHC Dodoma
- Parties
- Appellant: Ahmadhani Hassan; Respondent: The Republic
- Court
- TZHC
- Jurisdiction
- Tanzania
- Judgment Date
- 6 June 1977
- Procedural Posture
- Criminal Appeal / Appeal From Conviction and Sentence
- Outcome
- Appeal allowed; conviction quashed; sentence set aside; appellant to be released unless otherwise lawfully held.
- Legal Topics
- Cattle Theft, Claim of Right, Plea Procedure
- Source Language
- english
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Ahmadhani Hassan
Appellant
The Republic
Respondent
Procedural Posture
Criminal Appeal / Appeal From Conviction and Sentence
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the appellant's plea amounted to an admission of guilt
- 2 Whether the appellant had a bona fide claim of right
- 3 Whether the conviction for cattle theft was proper
Ratio Decidendi
The appellant's plea did not amount to an admission of guilt but raised a bona fide claim of right, and there was no evidence to rebut this defence. The conviction was improper and could not stand.
Court Disposition
Appeal allowed; conviction quashed; sentence set aside; appellant to be released unless otherwise lawfully held.
Orders
- Conviction quashed
- Sentence set aside
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
1 paragraphs
•.' i. .... I • IN THE HIGH~COURT OF TANZANIA .. APPELLNi'E JURISDICTION .". ·HIGH 'ffiURT CRIMINAL- APPE/\L NOo 27 OF 1977. . ..ORIGINAL ~/ . qHMINAL C.\SE NOo 4 79 OF 1976 '\ t ·- ~ OF THE DISTRICT COURT OF KONDOA DISTRICT AT KONDOi, ·,., •. .J : ; . ·" . . . Before Mo -A~ Upa9a ·• -; ..-;·-·.-:---;---.;--...-:-:-·_:-:District MarJistrate , 111"\.M/\DHi\.N I HAS s AN I. : • 0 0 0 o a o o o • ., oApµ~llant I (Original AcCUS•..!d) • Versus ·rHE REPUBLIC. e O O 0 0 • • 0 o O 0 0 0 o• • o o R,-:Sponcle2nt (Original Prosecutor) Charge: Cattle theft c/s 265 and 268 of the Penul. Code. JUDGMENT The appel_lant was charged with and convictC!d of cattle theft, it being alleged that on· the lith day uf Octuber, 1976 at ab0ut 12 ... 00 noon at Cheku village within thG _District of Kon<loa Dodoma Region be stole one ht-:ad of cattle valued at shs. 320/= the property_ of or;i~- Hassan s/o Saliko. HiJ.ssan is appell~mt•·s father. · ·· When th~~ ch:1rge was read over t(l him; apf.i:~llant replied as follows: ',J .• . • .• "I had not stohm ito I tock it for it is pro1)~rty of.my fath.'·r the complainnnto !H~· ha.cl ·not allowed me. 11 .-, 'The'.'.triaJ.·m·agistrate entered it" ;:•s.;'i{p10a of cjuilty; called upon the prosecutor to outline the facts and purported th~reafter 'to· convict- the' appellant'. . . '\ ~ As seen abuve, appellant I s plf~a wa$ clearly one of 'Not Guilty•. The words "Irhad n,;t stc;len it 11 do not impurt ary.y mcunipg_ othc,r th::i.n denying the alleqation uf th8ft~. ,1 . ,a • ,. I ~· • • "' .. , • " r\ " • ~ , ~' '•~ !• By the words 'I tOt)k it for i t is the prob,.:!rty uf:my:·'- father the complainant' - the app,~llant was unmistakunly putting ~.Pa defenc~of_claim_of rig}:lt withi.!;l.the_me_.:ming o_f s. 9 <.>f the ~'iJ.·:_cocte. 'That kp:)t:llarrt s-a'ic1'tha'f!1 i\e had·not'•½~t!n nllow-.=d to take the cow, in no way destroys his defence of bonufide claim of right, the more so tho.t the cumpluinant is ,:,pp..:::lLmt•s fath,,r. There was notll.i.ng~..in~±h.c-:£.acts ')iven eith~r - th.:.1_t tendQd to rebut appellant's defence of bt-'nafide claim of ri0ht • ..., , : ;•. '" ,,;t •_ .... ~ ~· , • ·i . . · .' - · ·· : . ~ ~ i:: l: . ; . :r ·agree ~..,ith' trc 'counsel fo~~-l.hr; Republic th.:it lril:s was a ":famiiy ··aifafr which on the·r.a:ct~ on'1-ecord·ou,ht;not· to have· 'bet~ti ~d1t.:/rtniri~d~·as1 a criminal caseo -: 1-incf"-a;,( i:hC! .. Repubii'c- ·aoe's not 'al>so': support t:hh~ dcnvicti0n· tht? same cannot be ~il0Wi.1d to:. st'amft it; 1s quashed and the senbmce S(~t aside~. Appt:llant is to bf-! released f,-;rthwi th frcm .prison unluss nth12rwis.2 lawfully hedd 1 f;t" sJme: otht•r;_ mattero. Order~· nccorclin<jly.: i l : .. , - 'j .. • fulive..red jJ'- • in court at D,)d(blna ~ ~ Ir I" -thi's!"""6th ·cay cf June, 1977. 'lr I • ., • .. ~ r •J "I,\ t / • • ,t• .. 6 J • • ' ' • •• ,., ' '~ ~, : • ' : •1 • • • ... : ?f-~-- MWAKIBETE - JU~E ,_._ "\~ '' •I