19860428 TZCA Dar es Salaam

IN THE 90URT OF Al'l'EAL OF Tii.HZJu"ilU. AT l1ID:i!:¥_1!: ":. ,· .c,2}~"'1: . I•r;i.ICAl,11i! a J .A. , 1.'ISAN~A • J •AI I.pd OMAll I J .A,.: ' . CRii-11NAL APPEAL NO. 74 OF 1985 WISTON TUIGi,'l'E M,IAMSEN',u::";-'-;•: • • • • . • APPELLANT , . . . ' . •villRSUS THE RJTil?u.BLIC. • · • • • • ·• • • • ·• • RhlSfQNDENT (Appeal from the conviction of the High Court of Tanz.anfa at Mbeya)·.(Mroso, J.) dp.ted the 16th dey- of A~st, 1985 · · i,n Criminal Sessions Case N9. 90 of 1981 ----- . ·. ·. The appellant WI3TOH H\·/AriIBBli!'E's two sist..;:s 1,1ere r.ia.rried to tne d~cea.sed · . .NYITIICE:'1(.ATii.;x;.Q. Apparently one of the sisters fell. out wi:tll ~ . .. . . the deceased and tho la.t·i;er '.obtained wr.at was <le scribed as a Court .w Atte.cbment Order to seize some· cattle and other ~;:i:o:;erty from- P.. .f · , . . i .:·..... •. 1 Lf.ZlillO nwAI,G:m~ and AJi'YIDCULE r-1WAI1BEIIB, two of tho a.p:9ellant s b_rothers., j -~- The decreased got to the homea-tead of P.w,·3 arme_d with document and in the cornp:my of 1' 0 \J 0 1 LilJIGTON t1ALAKOJ,IDIDU the Village ~e ~ t I "( i' i Cha.iJ:man, P.W,4 LEOi:lA.tlD l:1',·itJc:ILULillLE the Pa.rty Branch Scc::eta.ry 1 and ~ . .. , I t militiaman culled iillJ.YJSON SIA.•0~. P.1:1.3 disputed lia,bility, ~hereupon l'eW• 1 advised tha.t the exorcise be deferred,· pending ola.rifioa;:(ion :by ·the Court •. The deceased wa.s unha.pw and ·said that he wanted his · \)roperty • _Peopl'e were otherwise tlis:i;ic.rsi.ng when all o.f a. sud.den t.he a.ppellant, who was. a.lso there::_, attacked the decea.aed, He infl~7d one blow with a. eyonjo and e.lmo:::t literally deca.pit.a.teci the deeea.sed• ., •.; It we.a not disputed tha.t the appellant atta.Qked the dccea.sed and . · •· .;J'.r caused his deat;~• Too learned trial judge ,.,, no di.£!ioul'{. in ..,feelJ,g ·•.;a:,:.~ with both bis assessors in finding tho appellant ll'il_ty of ,,.,• .,... ,;-.~.,-· , . ./·. 0 0 • • • ./2.. r' :"~~•.; •I·: .., I ' • • • < ·:·; , ~-·.':): • ...-~~· --·-~·- ~ I I ', ;, I •I .l ./ 1 ' - 2 - . . ...,,.,...._ -_,_ •; .-·· ~ . - itf'I -~ I', I /,. _The Court duly convicted hill and sentenced hue.· to suf'£er ., death •. He ',,. I is now appall.ling to this . Court :md 1-'ir • fo:te:,ru.."l3a., learned Counsel . .: ;• ◄ a.dvoca.ted fo~ him. On behol.f of tLe :l<?s:;,ondent Ile_:,>ublic Hr, Kapinga -~ . ...'\ lea.med, Sta.tl ...ttorncy sought to su~1.·ort the lower court\, decision. .;..,-A -~ ~ In his evidence upon a.ffirr.iation the appellant did not deny at"41,ckill,g the. deceased, I-lis defence, however, was that the deceased was intent upon seizing the bea~ts from P,W.3's ca.ttlo boma. and as ·there were . in the .herd the appeilant 1 s own £our onitJllls the appellant £ea.rad that: . ·these too would be taken awey. "I was enraged by what the'dec~a.sed was 1 a.bout to do .. to seize the cattle •. I took a w~a.pon a. •mundu :f';olll inside the h.,1,.se a.nd I struck him with the 1 mundul on the head oa.using him a ~• WQl,Uld. I only intended to frighten him a.wey but unfortunately ~he sharp edge of the mundu cut him"~ The tria1 court carefully considered the appellant•s story ond rejected 'it, It W:3,S so.tisfied tha.t the deceased was not rea1ly contemplating seizing o:ny enimc.ls artd that e·:en U: • for the sake ,o! argument he wa.s, he would h.:ve beeri effectively restrained by .the · I appellant Md his three brothers witbout resort to arzy-. weapon, especially ·as-the deceased was oo~"ely unarmed.. The eourt· held that there was no ;just.i£ioatJ.on £o1: ti:i.e a.:.wellsnt tQ ~ t . the· d.eC)(j,aSed the wey he did. In his 1'!eoorand1.ll'!l of Appeal to this Court, on beha1f of t'tµ'! appellant, Mr. Batcyun~a a::l.vanced. three grcunds but.at the heeJ:j,ng he a1~doned two of them •. In the event he argued the before us !irst ground only, tbn.t the appellant. wo.s legitimately defending hi8 P.w.;, only .that he used . proper~, and tho.t of his brother, \ ·.excessive force so he should have been convicted £or Manslaughter only• Nr, Kapingo. supported. the conviction •. •••••• •·/3• • . 3 - We have considered the evidence on record a;,14 ta.ken into .account.~ . the rival arguments o.dva.riccd. Having tlonc so, we ·~e unable. to sey .. . . tha.t the evidGnc_e on record would ·susto.in Mr. Ba.t~yunga. 1 s submissfo?;l., -~- .The dec~ased was adraittetlly gru;:iblillg a0out the non-execution of the Court Order, but even the appella..11t aereed that he ho.cl not rcw.ched ;the . . ' . . kra.a.J.. The deceased ho.cl. cert~_inly not reached the stage· ·or·. interfering with the o.nima.ls; • . . • . . . I On his o,m account, the_ ap1)el;l._ant_ ·did, .hot .._have t~ bush,:..kn1fe immediately in his :possession: he went· iiito P.~l.3 1 ~,-hbuse ,, tor one ~d- ea.me out with it! .'raeh lie dealt th~ unarm_ed ·dcc6a.~ed .a · -~ ·. ,:·.. _. ,. most severe blow:.on the neck, prn,ctlo&lly cutting off t~h~_-.hea.d',. ;,,;_· ... .... . \ compl_etely. He says thfo wa.s lJereJ.y so as .to .frighten o.wcy .th(?: ... ..:-.. ;•, ·.. d.eceas~d~- ~-...! . . ·./(:;,:; ·.::.--}; ·. We o.re unable to ~ree. ' ' Likr.: the leo.rned trial . judge we ·e.r.o. ·::s:.i.tisfied·:t}Jat,/._;.. _. . : ' ..:.. : :,·,~~,·-: . J: the deceased had not really denonstrated any intention of forcibly. t~ing: _. ;:_,_ . away the. cattle, . .. . . .. . . .. ~ ~ We furt'her agree with the trial court that ; ' • ~ven if lla.l1 -. . :·- ·!.- , .. t:: .... _: :,;:~'~ :_. the deceo,sed bnd, there was on !wnd mere:: thDJ'l enough_bowei<to ·.r0s_tra.~ ._: .. -··. • . :.• . · ... ! ... him without resorting to such a 1€-thal wcc:.i)on n:.1d chiliing lllM.ner, To sovC?r a person I s head would ~ing i~,: ~:·s~~~--~:-~-~~~~~'.·:·: }'t,·-_.-;" be a i,1ost ·.unusua:1 ·: ·:·-: :- · ,. . ... ···.·. ·: . ·.. •,· wa;y of merely wonting to frighten hin. The:: O.)p~llant cloii,dy :i,niiertded to "- kill the deceased and his conviction for murdor we.a moat !:!,pprci~.1:_ia.te. 'l'here is no merit :.-~ at all iri the appeal which we accordingly dismisa_ ' 28.th dcy of April, DATED at I-IDE.YA this !I'· JUSTICE..... ~ _ ___ L. M. 1'UJ.KM11E OF APPEI\L R. H. KIS1UfGA JUSTICE OF APPEAL · A. M, A, OMAR ·JUSTICE oF·.AI"PEAI, I (lertify that tp.is is· a true eopy. o_f the· origin.µ_. ..-..: . . ,g;·. WV"! (J. H. I OFFE) ~ ..- .•. DEPUTY l:ur;. ISTfu\.'i? •.. •