19911018 TZHC Tabora1

H ur IN TED HIGH coum OF TANZANIA t--a- n o ~ A.. . . \'. ., AT TATIOPJt. APPELL.\TE JTJI'J:SDICr.I:ION (Tabora Registcy) CRIMINAL AI'PD.\L NO. 260 OF 1989 AL d1U:I1IDiAL CASE NOo 71 OF 1989 1 DISTRICT COURT OF MASWA DISTRICT /• AT H4.f3lr~\. k. Mo So HOZA Esq,., DISTJUCT Mll.G!STBATE • .A.IID1U;UI ~\ID o• • ., o • APPELL.\NT (Original Ao<;nw.~) VE.i.'WUS . .,TEE REPU:BLIC .. o o o u Bl'llS?ONDliiHT ( Original Prosecv.t1Jr) ;JUDGMENT ogether with one Rashid Shaban were oharged am onces i of houst';l brealdng, contrary to section 294 ( 1) . rd stealing, 0011,t:rary to section 265 of the Penal Croce ·ed. to .havo jointly b:i."Olmn' into the dWBlling· llousc ~f I in Maswa to,mship, Maswa District arrl stolo a radio compact cassettes. Tho total value of tho items stolon Tho .radio cassoti;o alone is said to have been worth I t 1vC-s '.!;ho 1st accused at tho trial. .\nd. v.pon conviction to .two years imprisonment for the 1st C·yunt, that is, houso mortt~ imprisorJmcn~ on tho 2nd Count, ioo stealing. _10 6:ppollant ts co-accused boca:l1.sc he wo.s n. ;routh of tordcr J ' : icatod· on the oha.rg'O shoot to havo boon 13 years of age, fivo ,strokes of tlio cane. I • ".ni; · is now appealing ago.inst both conviction o.rrl sontonoo., ----i;:rw,-.,,._c..J.ouril ~f tho en.so is briefly that on tho 16th of l[o.rch, 1987, PoWo 1 1 s houde, v1.s broken into D.i1d o. rn.dio cn.ssotto and. 8 compo.ot oa.ssottos were stolon therefrom. Later P.W.1 w~1s informed b3r PeUo3 . .\lly Kasim tho.t ho saw Rn.shid S.hab.1.ni walking f:i.~om her house with iID ro.d.ioo This infonna.tidn led to tho arrest of Rashid Sha.b::mig ~~ . upon_ questioning, i Rashid Sha.ban rovoo.lod tha.t they ho.d. sold tho rc..d.io to PeW«4 o.t Ma.ln.mpakn • . "..nd . irrlocd. at Ma.lni11pa,kn. the i"'D..d.io in question wc1s fowrl with Po W,. 4 .\ lrla.llah Pa.tel, who claimed th..1.t he. bought tho s.:1id radio f:i."Om tho o.ppollo.nt.- • J.nl that ho c'"":>ught- it at his homo in tho Compci.ny of a pornon ho could not ,,; - 2 :i,aiontifyo .This ·is tho :·substance of tho case against. tho appellantii Tho o.ppollant, •'d017,ied. to ho..'P_. boon_. invol vod in the commiss:i.on of this offence.., 1:10 contended:i --.~that . he ·wns· o.t. the "time admi. tt9d in• ho hospital and produced a, medical discharge shoot 1✓.IJ.icp. -wn.s produced o,irl a<lmitted a~ ~ibiff~- D.• 1o ~ · Mr. Bilaro, lo:J,rnod St:itp .\ttor.noy at _fir3t irrlioo.tod tho.t he was support_i:ng corivieti?.11".-· .Hpwew:r on fuJ."i;her roncction ~ tho course . of arguing tho appca.1, he 'WO-~ of tho view that tho. evidence on 1"Coord . ' was too wco.k to support the __.if:ppollp,nt' s oonviotion11 He thus declined to support it., Thero is no dov.:bt from -'tho evidence on record th:1t PoWo 11 s house was ind.cod broken into- o.nd tho rndio ar:d tho 8 cotnpaot cassettes we1"0 stolon thoi'c · frbm" .And f\u"iib.or that tho radio tb.o.t ·was fourrl. with 1'.u.4 :was. tho vo_cy.ro.d.io that hM booh stolon from PoWo 1'.s house ani only tho previous do.yo Tho cont.q,ntio1..1S i,ssue . in this :appeal. is tho question whether or not the O.P,l:,ollo.nt . w,a,s . a. ..j_Xl,1"i;y ... 'to. tho . . comL1iss:Lon of tho offoncos cta;r-gcd., Tho appellant . i!:l .protes:ting his. iimoconcb '. . _as. hq di.d at tho trio.lo \· Tho ovidonco .,implict:1ting tho a.1)J)Ollant in this c.::i,sc is.1,:sololy th8.t of .' • .• ,,'I ., Pi'Ta4 who claimed tho a.ppoll.::i,nt. togothcI' with anothor person sold to him tho r.J.dio. I h::i.vo considoroa_ tltl.s ovidonco o..nd I nm inclined to tho vlow tha,t ovon if this ovidoncdo was to be whol~? ·. .,,cco.p~od 9 it wpulc1 not liriJc tho nppeJlo.nt with tho acts of br-o:ik:i..ng cmd stoa.linc;- from Po U o 1 's house, in tho light of Pai'Te3 1 s ovidonco. ~~ccorcling to this w~tness iooo_rPoif•3;t ho _.9nly sci.w _Rc.shid Sha'!,ani, tho a.p1)()1l:1nt's co-a.ccusod wulld.ng fror,11'o~'fo1 1 s ho\,Q.~ with tho r.J.dio in quo$tiono Ho did not so.,y or· sv.g/1"0~_t t:;. J.t the appoll_cmt was also a.ro1...'!.l1do It is tb.1.1s difficult to s2.y, the aj_:lpoJ.lo.nt was o. }?J,rty to tho acts of house bro.::..ld.ng n1'.d stealing in tl:cso circumstances., I 0,m therofo:ro of t;20 oonaiderod I opinion, tho c1"£,:..~c,u ago.,inst the ::i.p1101lo..;,T\;_ wo.s not provodo · It is }?Ossiblo tho a.ppoll.'1nt CC'..;:10 to Uc nsso6iatod wit:: tJ.1is radio 1:1tc:r end could h:1w been l'l one of tb.o persons vrho,·wont to p,,-;·;.4 2-::~. sold tho r.Jdio to him. I nm howovor incllnod to tho view, t.'.1.nt in iho absence of any cvia. onco indic::::.ting_ how_ ho came' to be n.:::isoci::-,tod with this ~..dio, it is difficult to toll for ce1'1iCl.in ,12-icthcr or not in his being a.ssocintod 1,1ith it 1 ho knew or 1:3.d rco.son to boli "ITC tho came to ).10.vo boon feloniously stolon or obtained, to justify the iiwocation of the provision of section 311(1) of the .Penal. The learned trial Magistrate observed in his Judgement that the · appellant did not take _part in the breaking but becau.se he took further sJGeps after the breaking and:stealing, .he was accessory aft(;):r the fact and as such he could not escape conviction. tli th respeci; 1 tl1e learned trial Magi-s-'crfi.te was in errbi:; an assessory af·her the fact, thn:t is 1 if the appeliant was such an accessory t is not one of the parties to an offence, section 22 of the. Penal Code 1~g:fe1.;s. He could not therefore have been convicted on tliat basis. An acceesso~r aft or the ,' · · · ·. h fact is ~istinct offei1ce 11 , ,(.) \h O'\-.\lAJ ,v · · · O ,. '"'\ L ,v l-\ Y\ VI.~ _b ·. I I r· <. -+-i ~Y\ 2 ~ '.:\ \_.q, · \~/'}_{'l-1.'i { ~ I J, ~,... · . ._J ·-<¥ · . r , Ir I am therefore satisfied· that the appellants ·conviction is unsustainable~ The appeal is allowed. The conviction is qi,tashed and the sentence is sot at:i.do. The appellant if still inprison is to be rol<={ased forthui th unless otherwise le,1-tfulzy held. . \ '<1 ' Lci,st~d if I ma;v observe ~assi:ng 1 the offence of house breaking is a scheduled tt..e and as such.it should at least have attracted a minimum sentence of 3 years "imprisorunenji:; Appeal allowed., Wo H. SEICT.'!LE, JUDGE. :18/10/1991 De],ivered ori. this 18th daJ,· of October, 1991 · in tho prese17-00 of I<'.Ir 9 Komba loamed State Attorney•