mohamed mfaume ally vs republic 1986 tzca 67 7 october 1986

IiT THE COURT OP APPEAL OP TANZANIA AT PAR S3 SALAAM CORAIl3 MUSTAFA, J . A . " KISAI1GA, J , A, And JttiAR^ J . A . CittlHKAL APPEAL SO, 19 OP 1985 MOILiM'lD r^AUME ALLY. . . . . . . . .APPELLANT VERSUS THE REPUBLIC. . . . . . . . . . . RESPONDENT (A p p eal from th e c o n v i c t i o n o f th e H igh Court o f Tanzania a t Mtwara) (Msumi, J . ) d a te d th e 11tja day ox June, 1984 in C rim in a l S e s s io n s Ca,se No. 45 o f 1982 JUDCHMT OP THE COURT MUSTAFA. J . A . ; The d e ce a se d had liv e d , w ith th e a p p e lla n t as h is w ife f o r sometime and a c h i l d wa.s b o rn t o them. There was a q u a r r e l b etw een them one n i g h t , and P .V /.6 , who l i v e d w ith them , heard the q u a r r e l . The a p p e lla n t demanded th e r e tu r n o f the b r id e w e a lt h he had. p a id , and it seemed th a t th e d e ce a se d r e tu r n e d a p a r t o f i t and was prepa,red t o g e t th e b a la n ce t o pay back th e a ,p p e lla n t. •'•hey l e f t t o g e t h e r th a t n ig h t f o r th e d e ce a se d t o c o l l e c t th e b a la n c e from her b ro th e r. During th e same n ig h t th e a p p e lla n t r e tu r n e d t o th e village and awakened P .I7 .2 . The a p p e lla n t was c a r r y in g th e c h i l d . The a p p e lla n t t o l d P.W .2 th a t h e, th e a ,p p ella n t ha,d k i l l e d th e d e ce a s e d by s t r a n g lin g her a t a p la c e c a l l e d C hota. P.W.2 r e f u s e d t o c o l l e c t the c h i l d from th e a p p e lla n t and in form ed th e c e l l le a d e r P .V /,3 . He a l s o c a l l e d a n oth er c e l l le a d e r P .W .4. The a p p e lla n t r e p e a le d t o P«V*3 F.W .4 th a t he ha.d k i l l e d th e d e ce a s e d b y s t r a n g lin g h er. And th e a p p e lla n t a l s o c o n fe s s e d t o P .W .5 , a m ilitia m a n th a t he had s t r a n g le d th e d e c e a s e d . The w itn e s s e s went to th e p la .ee, Chota, and. d i s c o v e r e d th e dead body o f th e d e c e a s e d . A d o c t o r c a r r ie d ou t a p o s t mortem e x a m in a tion and gave the co.use o f d ea th as “s t r a n g u la t io n a t th e The r e p o r t n e ck w ith p i e c e s o f c l o t h 1', ^ s t a t e d th a t th e dead body had sta rted to p u t r ify . There were p i e c e s o f c l o t h t i g h t l y t i e d at th e n e c k . The a t io - a .t la n t o j o i n t was d i s l o c a t e d ca u sin g s e v e r in g o f th e s p i n a l c o r d and. a .sp h ix ic lu n g s were s e e n . The a p p e lla n t in an unsworn sta tem en t d e n ie d th a t he had ..co n fe sse d t o k i l l i n g the d e ce a se d t o P .W .2, P.W.3* P.W .4 and P.W .5* He s t a t e d th a t he had l e f t th e d o co a s e d o u t s id e the v i l l a g e boundary as he wanted t o r e tu r n home. He th en r e a l i s e d th a t th e key was w it h th e d e c e a s e d . He retu rn ed t o th e d ecea sed and he fou n d th a t th e d e ce a s e d had hanged h e r s e l f on a, t r e e a t a, pla.ee c a l l e d C hota. He cu t her down and she was s t i l l a l i v e . There wa.s a n o o se round h e r n e ck and he lo o s e n e d th e n oose and then the decea.sed d i e d . The t r i a l ju d g e end the c.J3ur:r3ors b e l ie v e d th e e v id e n c e o f P .W .2 , P .W .3 , P.W .4 and P .W .5. He d i s b e li e v e d th e unsworn sta tem en t made by th e a p p e lla n t and. he co n v ic te d , th e a p p e lla n t o f murder as c h a rg e d . M iss M ja .s iri appeared f o r the a p p e lla n t b e f o r e u s . She su b m itte d th a t the a .p p ella n t had. r e tr a .c te d h is c o n f e s s io n and t h e r e f o r e c o r r o b o r a t io n o f su ch c o n f e s s io n wao needed* The t r i a l ju d g e d id n ot c o n s id e r the is s u e o f a, r e t r a c t e d c o n f e s s io n as th a t s u b m issio n wa,s n o t made t o him. However we th in k th a t th e r e was s u f f i c i e n t c o r r o b o r a t io n in t h i s ca,se. A c co rd in g t o P .W .2, P.W.3* P.W .4 and P.W.5 the a .p p e lla n t t o l d them th a t he had s t r a n g le d th e d e ce a s e d t o d e a th . The p o s t mortem r e p o r t by the d o c t o r showed th a t d ea th was ca u sed by s t r a n g u l a t io n . I t a,Iso showed th a t th e p i e c e s o f c l o t h were s t i l l t i g h t l y t i e d around th e n e ck o f the d e c e a s e d . D e s p ite H iss M j a s i r i 's attem pt to c h a lle n g e th e c o r r e c t n e s s o f the d o c t o r 's o p in io n g iv e n in the p o s t mortem r e p o r t , we a re s a t is f ie d , th a t th e o p in io n was p r o p e r ly a c c e p te d by th e t r i a l c o u r t as show ing th e cause o f d e a th . In our v ie w th e s t r a n g u la t io n elem ent in th o p o s t mortem r e p o r t w ould be s u f f i c i e n t c o r r o b o r a t io n o f the c o n f e s s io n in t h i s ca,se. There was a, g e n e r a l su b m ission th a t th e e v id e n c e as a, w hole was i n s u f f i c i e n t t o s u s t a in the c o n v i c t i o n . That i s c o m p le te ly w ith o u t m e r it . We axe s a t i s f i e d th a t the c o n v i c t i o n o f th e a p p e lla n t o f murder in this cas^rfip'-ajus-tixled, and we dismiss the appeal, q/ <: C D^fe3> at,D.,Jl SC BALAAM this 7th day of October, 1986. ' \ ' ■ i . t 1' c / A. ITOSTAD’A •-A /-' / JUSTICE OF APPEAL H. H. KISAHGA JUSTICE OF APPEAL ^ ‘ A . M. A . OMAR JUSTICE OF APPEAL I c e r t i f y th a t t h i s i s a tr u e copy o f the o r i g i n a l . ( J . H. MSOFFE) / DEPUT'Y REGIS TRAll