19770806 TZHC Mwanza1

:AP!'.iil.,Lc·. ':-C.2i JUR ISJJI CT ION H)Gci{:· C9Url_I1 83..,:r:•.~.,.,l.: 1;FP.i£.1L NO, 1.33 OF 1977• ., . GF. c.~.- i,FPL. 61/66. (Original Criminal Case ;Jo. 55 of.1915 of the .iJistrict'Cou.ct 02 Bu.koba District at Bukqba - Baforo G. Kay•ga, Esq., District ~agistr·-~e) · versus THE RBPliBLl.C. ·•. ·/-. ,·., •••••••• • •••••• ~ ••• ~ ••••••••••• ,•..• ·• •••• •. • .J..:;SPONDENT CHARGE: fi'ttbbery with vioL;;::;~ c/s 286 of the Pen,3 l Cole Cap 16 of the Laws. JtrDG1t-E:NT Clavery Mwomb.;ki, tiw ~,ppeilant in this cast:? 1 ,rnd Christopher Munyc1ge not·appealing, wt::fe convicted of the .offence of robb3ry with violence c/s 286 · of the Pc:.·1;:•_l CoJe Cap 16 of the L~ws I by Bukoba District Court, th~ t sentGn6ad. ·thGm tc, seven years imprisonment each 1 0V8:C' anJ above ordering them to pay Shs. 7,356/20 to the complain3nt as comp~n~2tion. . . ~ . . . . ·, } . ... ''i. ··. . Clavery wrwombeki" whc· W-::!S first ::iccused' hereafter to be rd'erred to I as· the appellant- is now a)p:1~1.ins Ggainst conviction. The 0;1J.i:f· c:c·ourid ~ of appeal, that car:t'ies sunse, is the one throt,gh _wt1ich the -"!i/•,iLlant :f 1 . •contends, that iden.tiffo··••ci•)h L,ft alot to be Jesired. .;., ... ·. lm:te::,;d. 1 this. 'is ithe aspect that should atJcr::.Gt the at"tention of this cour-t • The facts- thet a1'e ;)_ot_d:~sput~·ct, ':Ire that on the dc.a.:t·of :_1jght of i6/1/1975 the-c6mpla±Jant'R ·s)0~; was stormoi opan, by us{n€ ·th~ m6st · :r;eoent and powerful ro::ibJ~y machine - a stone. In the house the complainant was sa.ort wounded, the wi:i:'o ·c':;.t wounJeJ., awl cash incl1.1-iing pr··-i~Jl'ties · r- •· ·were stolen. This w=1s •i.<:: "::,~:,rt arrogant operation, th3t ono c,.nld experience in his life anJ fro_m the ' .. c•-:-r1i 1)lc:1inant's own mouth 1 we hav.a th8 incident .a_s follows: --- · "Tnere_ 11\T:J 8 J. i_.·_,t I the· 2nd ace used wa·s wearing a coloured s~iri end a ~~ir of shorts. Th3 first .,. ·.• accusad w~s · t ~~a sl~~pin~ room■ · He-was,Aem~n(ing ·money.. I· ti<<c th0 •.fir~t 3CCllSo.;d to ,open:. I gqve •· . the first FCCL~se,., tfre key. The 2nq 3CCUsed w~s It was in the s:ime room ■ 1 stepp~n,; ·Jtl r\/ ~-rife. r.: i· .I s3w tiu ·1:::,:; ::-.couscd an-i the 2nd accused cL~2i. ly. 0 Thet- f"frsi; 2cc·,:cs0d. was Wtl3ring a kofia - black and • • •, ( ., l ••• ( ~ <t- • whiteo ~he :;_irsr.,dem.3.n.led monay.- I told h im' to· 1 1 . ',i · t3ke ,tfre key '.i:'r,·m un,ier the b0d.. The fi.cst accused /J s'k~d · m2 wh0:t.'-J ·the money' w3 S• I told· him the .:· money \v.:i s· in. ;;~1.e box. Ti1ey were six. The first accused wes n3-r me. He was ordering 2nd a~cusod who w:i s. gir-::c<~ i.:.1~< wi i;h a knife. They ·djJ ::not i;"8t the •money. Th~· ffr·st accused asked ag3in whc:re th~:money w::-:s. I tol.a.'. him it was·in ,the NivaqD.ine · Un. He took th0 Nivaquine tin ne.ar the beJ and countedo· ·It W.".S Shs~ ·100·0/=• The note~ 1-i_ere of hundreds- 3nd Shs. 300/.,. were in 1 and 10/= 5/=• •• The first 2ccua~d s~i~ Ghair shida was- o~er. The j' w an t nut.:._ ____ .:_ ____::_ ______________ .;.;__;;__,_ ___ 1 -.-:-----------.---------.-----------------~------ ,After a:s,101•-t; tfir.G 1 the fiz:st accuse,1 being" !;2'.11{;' leaJ:er I •c~rri'-:) j_J:} th-.:! ho US8 :J!:_'.'3 in« The fif:st . accus8d_ t-:iLc r:,0, ·we ·have n,)t come to pl::iy. :·He . said ther i:l •iv.:_ s m•.)re ;:n.oney. I tolJ. them rtci ·mo're me.nay:,-· Thq :i"irs~ acct..sei s::iJ, it was the last time to :lsk :_,.--ou. 1st :iccus-~d. pointed 3 gun on my left, ne~~ ~~J 0:r. I allowad the accused to take mora IP·)ll:-Y' it1• ·'.;I:~ ooxes 3S th;::re W3S mure money. The first 3.Ct>'SIJ.L W(int :rnd took 3400/= which wqs in th0 pocket, - .It was in 20'. s not2s, 10/= .not,3s cu;;,,mcy ~ntus. Th8 fjrs:t ,,,ccused .br0ught the rr,0"13Y on _th .t:. ille. The 2ni accuseJ was still poi-.1tin,g- :~_-k:.,i/p_yn ,tl1e b'ick of my ,vif ..,. _They t,,ok tn2 m·JiJ.U~·· ."nd. went out.-------------------- ..• ';t'!'\;"':.?. wµs· ), tiP}:~"' . .ou~s;i.•1~, thcit ther.:c_. ,ns still · mor2 ms~2y. ~iJ 1st accusJi c1me the thirJ tim0• He s::\id I 'ILG .,,leying t,,_rith ·,im• He s:ciid I must give him m i:;.ey. 1st ~ ccuseJ. 3 skeJ. m-➔, Jo you ki1,•w •1:h,ath)?· • i· s,:r:ii.~L· .10s• · · lst··accusei ·tc:,ld the' 2nd accusad to k:ill m;r child c1nd pour blood on me• The 2nd ::i cc~1..s:•:, :,...:Jlcl my child by the left hind, and ri;ht hani hjld a sword, 1st accused told 2nd ~ccuse.i to cut m§,_ The 2nd accus.,d cut me• I told th0 l' .:i.·s ~'ccus,.d to cring the 2nd box l.Jith clothes. I'ho l::;t 2ccus0J. took Shs. 1,214/= from· · that box, Shs~ 700/= were nctes, and 500/= were in. 5/= silver -:.:::-c~ ,;;;h.:,r copper. They were counting at the table. The 1st itcuseJ was cbunting t~e money. They put the money in the hcmd bag".. - The above eviuence T-R.:~ c,,11firrn-:::d by Fi'VJ, the compl::iin<?.nt's-wife.. This evidence, b,ali·.cveJ. ':'.S :. · '.·,Js by the .0istrict Court, 1 h3vo no reason ,to say it W::!S believ•3J en ';1· 11~- ground.s. rhree tim0s, trie m::n:e,y wes 0 count,3d, once·n0cir•t1e·:::,.J, 1 ::md: t,·iica on the t::ible. :As.it j_s i,,t usual • s.. to :00.unt in the d::irk I l 2-E, ·J_ ;_, tc, believe I there "tv3 light.~ c· '.'Jfirming _ · A111 ag:ain, the comp1ain:1nt's ~,7j,;_,)nce. Further :::sit. c::in e:.;,silY,' 1,Je:: observe'.ct.., ~ the time factor in this 6°-";J· :ts very impcrtant. It ·3ppears,' L.J f;"=.rng h:_:id a long time, during which·:: l•:;·st, the <ippelurnt 8Xposedhirnsc~u·.so much, tp.at; ident if ic3 tion c3.nn,:-t ,_,2 mistaken~• Thus we h~, ve tne com pl"? inant ide,ntif'ying the· appeibnt b;f fs_;c-e 3nd ''kofia"·•. It is· b~cause o'f th.is:, ·: tpa:t E3ven PWl, told the c•·F,:t -\h Jt the·' compla imnt iJ ant.if iei t}e appe lbn t, wh~n they met him three dpys· ~fter th~ incilent~ · · \ The seirch of th:::1.,:i_::;p0LL.::ant's'ftouse was fruitless, but b2'_ind his house w,ere found hiJden 1 two bc;xes of m'-",tch boxes, 3 boxes of N;y-ota boxes, Cafenol, Asprol qnd 11.3l·,r,,,cjc.'in2 boxes.~ I would not have al::v'c\.-)d their significance in this c:is;o 1 !:i.i'st had they net bean in big qu::111ci-ci0s, and second hidJen, :Wcl,- tj•,ird lncl the app8l (·rnt baen a shop-k,:,::::)cr.. But~ the appellant's possession --.c·f :the soime:, in circUmst,3nces qnd Cju. nti ty., 0 that excite suspicion, dem~nJ r~lation of the SJme tJ the 'c~s~ ~s whole~ The prr.,perty :so ce,rned, 2r>-e sirnil-ar to those, that wert:: st=·Lin f:..'rim the complain:int·' s. shop on thJ _,•i .:it of the ·incilent,, Of couise nc ,~t .empts at iJentific3.tion of ta0 s~nG 1 were maJe 3nd of cs~rse 1 sdch attempts would h2v 2 been fruitless j_n viaw of the f-3ct th3t they -::ire the type that 1 are common in shops,. Bllt i:i: vr-:i still ccln talk of suspicion, ,:\s t,niing the identification above is .itl~,ftcv::-1te, it is the appelf!l·nt' s raacti,;n when talkinG with Pd5 Gabriel Tio~~l~. FW5 tells the story ::is follows:- . "On 18/1/75, I v.isited the 1::,t accus0d, ,,..;e vi.sit e~ch other. ;0,live in th0 s3me vill3ge. ~~ t3lk,ad abcL,t ·,;l'?.eft at Pvi2's place, with the first accused. Them th0 first accusel bro~,zht some st,,len properties, :32Jirtg th•it no one should ~uspect nim for thes,e; ·t~:'i."1~,s -as h~ bought them fro'rii Hub:iil0 • . . ,The f:j_rs½ 2CC~'E-Jd sho,,ad us rr'iny Nyota 'p'.lcka'ts - a~oµt 10, M~tch boxes, Medicines, C3f~nol_ 1~pro. 1st 3Cc.use:t fJ:.,id he ~boLght them from :ttub3la •. vfa .w.e.nt. 3W'i::~y. On 18/l/7S- I i.lm Ih,:;,3rJ··;·-beii. I went to t'.1..: i)ull. I found FW2 and Pdl and met other yill2~~:~ iad gathered. I founi t~~ 2nd accu,s2d in -~~1~ h•·nds of• the police. I ·tol/1 th0 police th'.,t I s1.1>1pected the 1st '.lccused' 1 • . ~: '· . . . '6-'.,-r,,,,:._...,.·"'~"" 3 \ ) The above excerp, can only shew how for the initiating, guilty conscience's rebellion is -:d/licult to quash. One woulJ question •,vhy, the appellant should have clispl:-:yed, these things, just at the mon.tio·n of the robb<:}ry 3,t the compl::'.ins:nt's place, and, begin w-3shing himself clean that ha should not be suspec·~ed, if the said goods ha~ notning tG do with the robbery. Further,_ whil0 during th8 occssion of the visit cf p·1ri5 the goods wcire not hidden, they were subsequently found hidden. If h.,, had bought them from aubale, P. course t9,ken - to hide them shc-uld ::;oLmd strange. Equally betraying ir;; t;1e appell,rnt's response to cross -3x2,nination <( in his defence. He says 22j_ci I give him the honour of baing q;,,w-t;od:- "I J.id not know thG owners of the shop ':It nubale. I am ne,1 tne:c0. 1 told the police that I bought thi.11.gs from Pl'i6 Chausiku Hassan. I live with P~l'.5: 1 • PW6 Chausiku Hass3n -~cl~ the court, she had never seen ~ho appellant nor sold anything to him. Thus the qppell3nt in telling the ~olice that he bought the thinGs :1t _=tub,:L.:! 1 from PW6's sh·:>p W3s 3 lhi. 1,nd while he had unsuspectingly, told. P'.·;5 that he had bought the r_soois sit d.n·:::-1.e, after PW6 had told the trtJth tk:i tho appellant never bought ,rnything 1 the appellent could not ventUJ.'.:J ·c.,, mGntion any body else to hav0 s, ld. the same to him• .And yet at .'.:tLdr,le 1 there appa::1rs to have b3en onl;{ one shop that was robbed, and th~t is tho complainants. Thus to t!lk nf the ~ robbery, the appellant b0in:, fc,und in possession of prr)perty similar t.o that stolen, in th,.:i course of the robb,Jry, the appalJ.3,nt's poss:.. ssion of ....,... the same in suspicious c i:-:curnstances, '3nd the appellant's disclosure to have bought the same in a pl2c0 the robbery took place as aheer coincidence, is to over simplify tha m~·~tar. From tha evidence of PW2 1 PW3, PwS, and Pvl6 and the circumst,rnces· of the appellant's possession rJf property, can only go to show, th:d the appellant's· identificati,:ln ·,·Hi, the crime was beyond impeachment. I have therefore to dismiss the appeal and it is so oruered. Delivered this 6th ~2y nf Aubust, 1577• \ ·, . ,·t ... _j. ~· ~-,-,,-..._~- \ .,,-H,, \ ,.-... .-/ .. E. w. ·~TlTI l M~iANZA ■ JUDGE.