19891204 TZHC Dar es Salaam2

IH THE HIGH OOURT OEJ TAHZA.HIA AT Dli.H ES SAIJ\.Alv1 A??ELLATE JUlUSDICTION HIGH COU11T CI?.TMINAL APfEAL. NO. 79 of 1989 ( Frow the oricinal Criminal Case No. 45 of 1988 of the District Court 0£ Kiso.ro.we District at Kisarawe) HASSAN MAIVIDO MSATI • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • .APPELLAJ!T versus THE UNITED lili"'PUBLIC ••• (DPP) • • • • • , ••.•• ,HESPONDENT JUDGMENT MSUMI, J. The District Court of Kiso.ruwe sentenced the 0.1:;~Jellnnt to five yea.rs impr:i.sonill,:mt after conv:i.ctinc_; him of steolinL; c,)ntrary to secti-m 265 of the penal Cocle. Tlu.s np:..-,enl is 2.~ninst both cGnVictLm nnd sentence. The brief' fc.cts of the co.se o.re thnt on 6th June 1988 a pump mnclu.ne belon[;in..:; to lfasibu,_;:l11i Villa.Ge wns f0un<l r.u.ssinc. In the course of investicnti.m one Hassan Omari Mnclega (Flt 3) told the ljulice thnt on the cby in questLm, durinc the nicht, he met the O.j_.)j_)Cllo.nt, Bresh JUCT!)e Msemo.J.cweli a.ml two other persons w.• Jm he diu. n0t kn.Jw, co.rryil'l(:; the o.llc,~eu water 1JUtnl) machine. E 'US orJerec.1 by Juobe to· help curry the mnchine. Anu. after cnrryinc; it f,Jr c. distanoem he wo.s 2.lloweu to t) but with n wnrnin:; thc:.\t he shvulJ. not tell anyone or else thoy W.Juld horra him. When Jurabc wo,s arrestee., he ,lecl the police to o plncc where the mnchine was h:i.cLcn but he mnnncccl to esco.pe when he wci.s bein:s esc,)rte0. to police stnti.m. He is still ot lcu\_;e. In c:.mVictil'lG the o.:;,,~.ello.nt thG lenrncd :ti.al district mo.cistrntc cxpresscJ his total so.tisfc.ction With the eviL:.ence of Mage[.;O.• The; lc~0.rm::d CJunscl who prosecuted the O.j_.)~1cn.J. nrl'.;ued tho.t the a:onvio"iiic.ni:i.i e_rrenoous o.s i·t is busecl )Jn circumstntic.l eViclcncc~ With resl-iect, it is not ~10.rt uf ,,ur crir:ci.nal 1.:-.w -;· .-~ no circumsto.ntio.l evidence is cnpa:;lc of sup~,o.ttin.~ o. c,.mVicti.m. The raost iIJi.J )rto.nt quolificntion .)n_ circumstnntio.l cViJ.cmce is th:_,t it must be such thnt is not cnix.i.ble ,_jf £Ll1Y rensono.;.;lc hy:i_.Jothesio cxceJt the L,Uil t of the o.ccused. In other w,Jrds the circumst::mccs c1ust irresistc.'.;;ly j_) 1)int nt the cuilt of the .:iccusec1. Hs,·vever 1 before npiilyi!l{; this test to tho ;_)resent cnsell is it true, o.s c:mtcnded by the l-...!, trneJ 0,.ow1tael1 thc-.t the conVicti.m is bnsctl on circumstnnctiru. cVidcmce. With rcopect, it is not. Appcllo.nt iG c,nmcctc<l to the nllcccd thC'ft by the cVid.onco •.Jf Mo.cle(~o. (?W 3) i .... • ~ - who clru.ned tQ ha.ve seen him t9ucthcr with Jumbc and two other j_.)Crsons carryinc the pump cx1chine in q~~,tii)l'l• This is m,)re them circuras-t.untiul eVidcncc. As a matter of prncticc the eVidcnce of Mudc[Sn ou:..;ht to ho.vc been corrobo:ttntocl before it is nctcd upon. The c ..Jnduct of the np].Jollo.nt consequent to his arrest, t,) a ccrtnin amtcnt, e:;ivcs cre,:::.c;nce t-) the cVid.cnco of Madecu. In this c mnccti ;n I hn vc in mind the c.1)1.,dlnnt I s act of escpnin;_; fr,::irn the custody of the :i_:>olic~ when ho wo.s ;;cine escorted to remand l)riS,Jn. Like tho lcerned trial mc.cistrc,te, I om n-)t impressed by appcllnnt 1 s clm.t1 thnt ho nttCE11Jted tho escape while in · a stnto of racnta.l c.)11fusion •. Like Jumbo, his CJlla.b.Jllntor, who, nlbcit · tcm.pornrily, r!lDhcicuct t J run 2-.wny froo the lonG nrm of the law, D.j_)j?ellc.nt . a.t;ter wns pr)mpted to escape b/i. renlisin,; his incrimincitin._:: r.;Jie in tho CJcU.S3i•.in of the nlleced theft. J.s a. whole, the conViction is fnul tloss. And since the Si.:mtcnco imj_j,)Sed is the statutory lilinimura, this npponl must fnil. Hence it is dismissed. Jtr.JGE 4/12/89.