19780207 TZHC Dodoma

IN THE HIGH COURT OF TANZANIA AT SINGIDA ORIGINAL JURISWICTION (DODOMA REGISTRY) CRIMINAL SESSIONS CASE No.'.128 OF 1977 T:EIE REPUBLIC : . - versus 1 • J1JMANlilE S/0 .ALLY 2. JUMA NTANDU HAMISI 3. J7J1.VIA. LYAI\mu ATHNANI 4. IDDI MOHf.J-TED MUI:IBU ·cHARGE: Murder c/s 196 of the Penal Code. JUDGMENT JONATHAN I J. :· ·con the morning of November 15, ri1976 at JYiitunduruni_.. a rocky area i:h the township of Sint?;ida the-body of a w·onan c J_l- ~- ~--• JUMA r.;/o CLDIKI, a - 3C ~--. ·:~...; · . . • ,:,ras found half""'.'ru,.lrnd on a . low-lying stone outside the kitch_en of a po:obe shop run by the Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanganyika (U .• W.T.). The doctor followinc;_ an autopsy found severp,l ·contused .wounds on the hG.2.a,, neck· and sn the left breast. Tho· ws.11 of: the vciginal.-~<Drifice had been bruised ru1d was bleedinc, to sucr:..;est sh8 'had .. been sexually ravaged 1 al thoueh an exm:i.1il'l2;,tion of vaginal sm.ear did not ·reveal any c:"'r~r:~-~-'.~:-z•,::-... Despite all ~llf;::9e injv.rir:1s th8 doc tor both ·in his report 8,nd .in his ·oral testiLiony hc:;,s l10"1Gver b-:'-:Gn · clear th.2.t the de;i,th. resulted fi'.'01:i :-.-.:ru.,.,J..L stra.l1.['Ul~.tion. · This opinion, r:rhich ~.- :· r.-eidily .accP.pt, is support,Jd by tl1e presence of scratches on t1,.,:.:: :-..ntcrior part of tht;; nt.~ck 2nd blueness . in the· lungs and in the blood in th·: hoart and thCJ bic; blood v~ssels. '.·w0·are 2,cccrdiri-e;ly s2-tisfj_~,d sho h?J.d Pet n violent · death. Having· regard to th~:> evidonc e of Pw. 6 8e;reennt Maj or JOSEPH SIMON who helpod in th3 invcx:-'cica..tions h::)r life was . 0 ta1{en in th8 kitchen and ths body drae:;c3d o~t of thorc • .The prosecution in the · in:fom.2.tion allege tlu.,,t this occu.rred at the- hands of the four 2,ccuscd • .At tho· close of tho prosecution cs.se, however, tbo 3rd ac.cused 1m:s .'.'1..Cq_uit-tdd o.o ·there was little· or no evidence to conncct'hiri with the· death.· · . . As recards the :rcnr..ininc O..CCUf:l od the prosecution case rests . . almost 1·1holly on tho evidence of Pw .• 1 and P-vr.2;,-both adults.in_,. ' their early twenties. . AccordinG to them/ they h2ct th2.'t nic;h t cone ·to the pombe. Shop_ to drink. As regards ·the tirY-:,) as iJ.l Ii.13.llY otk,r r·.rs:..'c~itsi as . will be seen presently,- tl1'c:y c.,re how-::vc:rrgrently 2.t varience with each other. For,.Pw.1 gave 6.00 p.m~tthf., tine .of.their arrival there whil:'3 Pw.2 G.stimri.tad it to be_ 9.00 p ra .• They c.pp02,r to have been soated in the room wJ.ir:rG )Om.be was b•Jinc:; sold • . Fron ·there:: lbokins throuch a. biG window;, they c'l.ain ·to have seen the accused, and deceased together at th ·1 far end -of the drinking hall whi9h i§ juxtaposed with the ponbr::J ~selli11£:: rcom •. It was dark but:::they are in ~::io;reenent th<:.~r.e ·was light_.burni11g, PiT •.1 saying it: Wns· a pr.6ssure l.at1p-, and, Pw·. 2 1.:ie,.1tionir).g, a ~ .l1..:;_~Je : . olamp as the source of the···light. 2 At some st2.co, t_bpy -sa,y, thoy were, ·rcuocc." by sonG n:,isGs . that e.ll was not· ·woil· arJ.cnc the accusGd and the deces.sed. They say· they hec.rd tho first c.ccusf.id JUJV.£P.11NE.uho, it may be noted, had been a paramour of thE-: deco:.1.sed, ask for his gallon of ,pombG. Acccrdinc to Pw.1,follo-1.JinG this. the first and the -~ '- fourth 2.ccused· IDDI" JYfU1\'.IBU h:;.d held· end takk-·n her out of the pombe shop and heG.d.ed. fer the kitchen nearly 30 paces away, the:· door-way of which faced tho same .dirc::ction as the doors of the pombe shop. He did. not mention the 3rd accused as having been in the company of the other accused while with r-~sp:3Ct to the 2nd accused he said.1 al though he ho.d bonn pr·escnt ho had been no :c:1ore tJ::. ::-l'l an on-looker and he hz:~d not , Y ·. n . -.·-::,.eou t ,:i th the 1st and 4th accused as they held the deceased and took her outside. The version of Pw. 2 was the.t the first 8,CClJ.SCd slapped her and then took hor outsidG _beinc;-follm-red· by the 2nd and .4tli accused and one Hm.nisi Fisi. · .;..... ·· -·· That is· in· respect of wh-:."'.t haprenod inside the drinking hall)and I now turn to whnt tr2ns_.pired outside. The tuo witl.'le::,oos are in aereei::ent th$,t; after tl1;.::i-·aoconsed was t_2J~9n :9\i,t.·sido Pw.1 7 too,. went outside firstly to relei:1.se hios E!lf" e;nd · f ccondly, to soo what was happeninc to the dec1;);_~sod. He sc::ns .to hrwe gone past the kitchen 2.nd roleG.$ed h.inself on tho rocks somo 12 paces fron tho kitchen. He was :t:.'. - r · for 2,bout 20 minutes durinf; which tine he cL':1.ins to have seen tho fi1;;st ~;i1d 4th accusod drag'thc deoeµsod 'out of tho kitchen a.11d put h,n.. on tl:.,) stone. He however co..nclidl;y- ,, adnitted later that he had not rt,coc;nisod the two nen to b.e tho 1st and 4th a_ccus,od and he had only nssunod they 1-;n.lst h:-we been the ones, they boinc the }.)ersons hu -hr·.d soon take the ·deceased : ou tsido. ·Having senn what ha cL.:.ins to h2.v6 s :_,,.m hG went back ··to report to Pw.2 nnd his otl1cr collcn.gues, this preci"s·ely c..n aforesto.ted. Very significantly, however roP1-r. 2 not only _p.on:ie~ that ·is wmt Pw.1 reported.. but 2-.lso civesLctifferBnt versi.on ·2.s t·c whc.t :µe hins olf Sfl,W upon ~ettinc; the· report of ?w 1 •. Pw .1 /'hu S,::.ys, O only told then thn.t tho four pooplo, includlng -thq .1.st , 2nd. ::.nd .· 4th P..CCUS'3d ond H2.T-:-:.isi Fisi wero still 2.tti:wkL""lG tb,e d0ceased. He then went butsidG in the cot1:-:i2.ny of tho poribe shop's night 1-11;,tc:b.J!lan__c~d s2.w those people [',.tt~;ckil1&; her.~ Tho:r:_et:.f~GO!_,. ~]?.e twot wi tnessos ·1eft tho ponbE"! shop to go hone. only to 1,. , ..1.. ~1 1 t,c n~xi norning tho dece8.. sod h2.d b.:;on killed. · . To tho for,.Jgoing BG.Y be f\c;.ded th-::)· doctor's Gvidence of the ex2ninati011; of the c..ccuscd_ persons ::nc1. ·c: rGport of the Governnent Chenist. Doctor SALEKWA" (Pw.5) npporirs to hc.vG ox2nined all the fo~. accused two days after the cliscovbry of the body. He. di~ not observe nny roc1J:q:p injuri<;s on the 1st anc: 4th nccused· but he n.pp0ars to have obsorved a. bruiso on thu ricl:t\:.foroarI!ls of tho · 2nd, o.ccusec: 2nd o. bruise on tho lower lip ruid c. scrctch on, the face of th0 3rd accused. He est:i.n.,:.,_;ted thes_e :i.nj.ur.ies to·: be about three d2.ys old. As for the Ch.:,mist' 13:·report it r 1 -'~- ;:: to tho : · presence of ::: .I':'.''..t-0.z<Y'. on th .2 UD .l:'-: ··- .·~.i~:" of tho first accused, 1 j.t beinG the pro,.:10cution contentio . .1 tl."i..:1.t thqy h:C~d got there a13 the result of rapin(; thG dec02.s:;d -'cl .:-:-!.t fe,t~fu.l night. As I ~ 0 however directed th£-) g($;n.tlon- n C':.sser:-::sors no rogc"'..rd should be hc'.d to this• report ri.s- the pros0cutic:11 fc.iled to lc:iy a S\l.fficient h2,sis for it, In particulnr, they f2.ilocl to show fron. where o.nd the circunst2J1ces in which the exJ:1ibits hE.cT been seized so o,s ·to be , sur.e. it belonged to the first r,ccus0d. Be that 2,s it nay, the 'accused's defence supported o.s it:is by the 2.·ccount of):-,..~:·; w:j.fo soems to raise d·oubt · that ths spernato: . ~, on those \..::·' '!'":.~·:,ta could reasonably be c-.ttri>utod , to a. -law:ful sexual intercourse with.his wife on tho morn.inc of Sune..2,y the 14tl;l.of Novenbe~, 1976. . · 3 That then W['.S the ~,ros0cutL,::.1 cc,so ,.1..J a whole,.' Each . accused in defence gave as unsworn st;'.,tGr,ent putting ip :r::i.n alibi and is thG case of th(:J first ,:-.ccusee. his wife testified in support -that on the relcvm1t nie-:ht thoy hc-.cl slept :togethc::r sh2..rin& the sc.ne bad. · The 3rd accusod is not sc1.,id t.o }1:-~vc b,: zm present 2.t the : '" ,- ponbo shop on the r0levcn-t nic;}.1t 2;.'1d thG fr:.ct of b,:ing found to h2.ve recently sus_tn.ined injuric s vms not cr.2.pnbl:3 of ~ro11.i.'1ding C!. conviction. H0 wc.::,s 0ccordinc;ly QCC_i_uitted. I 2n in r-:.groenent with cul the throe gentlanen nsse3sors th7, t,. th._. cc:.oo "..gninst the 2nd o.,c9.used, too, is too slin fer c, conviction. It w1:.,s no nore tt~ th2.t he w:-:.s prese:nt th.-:t 1licl1t ~'.,nc1 th::·.t h::;; wr.1.s found with recent injuries. Ho h.~.s not e;iv..:m 2:n [.'~ccount of h·ow ho · sustained then but in order to c or:.:vi.st tb.::-; Gvi· enc() r:-.co..ins t hin hns first to cogently point to hi . : 0 u.ilt. Accordingly, he is acquitted r,nd dicch~rGed. · . : o/nd Co1:1inc 11-:.:w to the 1st ::,,cc1-u.::cc1·, t4 th ,1ccus GcJ. thu only evic.enco age.inst then is that of Pw .1 r.:11cl Pw. 2 but . .s f-,lrc;r.dy pointod out 0 in mnny iElportc.nt rospocts in their .JVidence they 0.ro c.t ve..ricnco with occh othor ♦- In ny juc~Bncmt they c,,11not possibly be both t2.lking tho truth on those~ . . .: . -;,-:~t3ro ,'J.1d i11 the welter of those accounts it would certr:inly be unsafe to ccnvict. The l0,-,,rn0d stnto C"~ttcrnoy h~s howov~r succc8sfully urg;_;d r:~11 tho gcntloncn assessors th,,,t Pw. 2 n,pp:;.-:;red to v:->..cill,~t0 ero,~tly in his tcst:i.nony n:nd it should be disrugr:,rdod ;:--,lt0.::-7cti.10r. I 1--,:;spuctfully agroo ho wr-.s denonstrP..bly unrcli:-,,1~lc. lf:;w, 0:1 the ovitoncu of Pw.1 Ftlono the 1:.,sscssors would convict thscc• tTJ 0.ccus -::,d. Th'~ t ~.- · "l-:'.. bo evidence of f'.ll only oyo-witnc,ss. In l:·.w'such 1..vitanco is c~~p2,blo of sus t~ining '"'. conviction. In pr:--.ctico, hm10vor, :c-.s I told tho nssossors, in tho qbs0ncc of cocont corrobor;:.tion such ovidc11co should be· ,'..ctod on only if tli0 ccur·~; is cl8['..r th'°'.t thf., witnGsn ic C'.bsolutoly roli:--.,blo, th2.t is 9 th:. t h•; io not m:l3r telling the trutp. but [>_lso th~·.t ho c::,.,nnot rocsibly h...,.vo been nist,:rnn on tho ;i.nport~t ~sp0cts cf his cvidonco. In thG prosont c~.so C,..n I G::y ·:,Tith uq_U:.'11.i.Dity, thr•,t Pw.1 is such witness? To n.nswcr the q_u,,sti,·,:!.1 hio r-.tti·cud0 .':'..t the rqlevnnt tine ~cl -~.fte:r th:, j]_:.ciclcrr'..; iG rcL::,v,•,nt. As notod ,~b ovc, th". t ni,Ght he wont out .:f th<; ponbu c;ho11 p::-,rtly to sco wlv'..t :the . 1 an [1.,CCU.GEJd were doi..nc to the docc--·,3cd. This I n::-:.y o---.y 1,·rr-::8, nr.t uo o.ct 0~ npro curiosity; he follofrod buc:·,uoo h•., suspoct h,·;m night result · to hor. Whr,t hu th:Jn s2.:~' th.-':,t is tb'~ ,'."'.CCUSu( drr·,t.cinc her out ,')f th0 kitc4on 2..nd r:- ..,r,.,: :nir~ ·11cr on th:: ston6 ouc;ht cort,,inly to h..,,vo been grc::-~ter h~rn th['.J'.l he h;:,cl :---,nticiv;ted, ~r:cl it iq not surpri- siri...g he r0portod to his colL_:;:,Q:i_cs ·~s h:: clr-~:.ns tc lir-vt- clono. Ought ho th.::.:n to h2.vo coni:.; ;>,i;~y :··,s he.; did ui th out first :pr:-.sGinc; I word to th0 n".ny oth0r pcoplf, -whc w··,ro th,,rc 1 if for no oth(,.r I reason to give hDl:p tc thL; · dcc,..:.:-:.scc'.? On th<, n;.,xt ncrninc he learnt sh-.:, hr:cl b,,cn killed, but hu i-rculd not report the incic:0nt to e.nyon-,:; in ::.uthori ty UJ:?.til h-. :"',nd Pw ~ 2 ..-;r,:.1r~; r:.rr,::-s t(,d n.b out: f cur dny's l'"ltO~ .. -v r~ vll'lor0u,)·on .L• '. J,; ,. f '_.J:'J..Or .!-],,. ';" ~\J ... .1. ..._,, ~ 1-....l '·' - .... •~y r·•:--1..·1-.- fn",.c,•:- .Jl,_i•1·1r J Jl,-;-...- -- , -V U r•+nt0r:•,'1'CC1 U -" -~ ..,.,,,__ Q .inplic,"..tin6 -thv [',Ccusud. Thie in ny judgr.:i,. m.-'; is · ·., r<'..thcr puzzli:ac; conflict of f'. t ti tu.do. I h:-: v .., :::·incc con~: out of r.:ry wr~y to lcok :·~t ,':'. ste.toi::ont h0 nr~do to th.; polio:,:; c,n Hovunb ::r 19 r~nc.~ .-:--.,n nd.c.1i ti;m:-:,l stntohc:n t h.; rnde n non th le-, tor. Nc-t; only do th~·,y contr8.dict or.cl1 othor, but so f['.,r '."',S concerns th•._; f:i.rst st:-:,t . .:•c.nt on r>., nunbur c:~ inport,,nt 1x:,rticul.~.rs it di:i:'f-:,rs vr_:i~y cicnif:'.c:--.ntly fron his t;:Jsti- oony. In tl1c :)nd I hr;,vc cone JGo ·,,;h:. c0nclus:.on thr-:.t, 1.~.t best ·· he is not th[',t rcli,0.,blc .~_nd. ~~t wor[~t he is ;~ p:.:r5on Hi th r.n intcr~.:st of his oim to s:-.;rvo in th:. c~s'..). , In oi th.Jr cr.sc, in the ,~bs G!lC u of corro".:lor,~ticn, ~d I sec none? it uou1il. be: uns2..fo to convict .. '. 4 In tho ros:ult, giving thG two rci.1:-:--..in:L:;:~c; :~ccusccl __ tho b,;:nofi t of doubt, thoy, ·nro ·hereby _,..,,cquittod. A word _:->_bout the; lOCf'..tion of t:b.,;ponbo shop .:7,S WG saw it • It is in e hido-out in <1.. rocky 0..r r, ol fu.:..,, to1-mship which is unlit rncl bn.roly nccessiblc to noto:r ~r;i,f'f:: J. The. s0t-up. f'..S c. whole would r.lso s0(;n to pos-:: I hi:cr..-- h:_::;,dCo'.:' .:--,nc.1 it c ;.'n only bo hopo thr.t the nuthoriti,:s will in ti;·-:: ~.ct to ]?Ut thi11[:;S ri@1t. Tho c>.ccusod o.r_o dis chr,rGocl. Judgncnt dGlivcrud .in ·01y,n cour;· thi~:f 7th dr..y 0f Fobrur,ry 1978-. >·,_f_f.';;-_r'f_:-:-_,,\ . ·.::.": •'~· ii •. P. M. JOIT.h'lHAN ·JUDGE P • M• J Oli :.':::'l-ILN iT"l.JD - ; C "••.