19900903 TZCA Mbeya

·, ;, ' --J J -" IN 'm8 .COURT OF ;,.p~_:.L OF T:,.N"Zli.NL'i. l..T HBEYL t. .. ._.,.,..' cnn1ni:.-L ~.PPFJ.J., N'O. 26 OF 199t. • J3DT1T.JIIN YOIL"..lUS IISIG'W::.... • • • o O O 0 00000c, ::..P?:JLL..'.JJT I _'JU) 'lliW :2J)lPUBL IC. • • • • • e O o 0 • 0 • J.ESPONDEliiT (!.1.ppocl frot1 t!10 Jud.gGont of tho IIigl1 Court of Te,nz2-11i2- d Njonbo) ( r,rwn.ik..1,su, J. ) dci.tod tho 6th do.y of Doco1jbor,- 1989 in Crininn.l Sessions C2,so No. 15 of 128~ JUDGHJNT OF TID COIBT In Novenbor 1981, ~t a vill2,Go cc.llod lbliwa in Mnkota District, Iringa, Region, a. rn:m known as KIBlr.mlI MSIGWL wo..s sovoroly cut five tines: on tho fc.co, tho av.rs, tho neck c.nd. tJ10 c~wst. : .. ccorcling to the postoortcu exm:iino.tion report t:10 doccc.sod cliod of those injurioa 2.nCl the consoqU0nt hc:.Coorrl111t,"'Oe Tl10 Ilic;h Court sitting at NjorJbo (r.'iwo.ikc.s~ J.) vr....s sc..tis.fiod that tl10 r.ppollcmt YOIL'JUS llBimiJ.1. wr.-,s t~10 l)Ol'son H):;,o 11orklly •wounded the dooco.sod c.nd thc.t ho clid so wi t'.1 nc..licc r.fo:rot~_1ought. Tho o..p:Jollcmt wn.s 'c.ccordingly comnetod for ourdo1~ cmd conclo;:::nod to c:.oc.th. Ho i& a.:ppe.c.ling to us a.gn.inst tllo decision c..nd in. tto effort ho is l:ioil!g o.dvocr.:t_od _for by .Mwcltilc.so. 7 lc~n,.od. Counsel. In roaist-~~1co of the a.ppco.l Mrf Songwa.ji, learned Senior Ste.to .. ~ttornoy, D.I'(;UOd on bo::r;lf of tho 1-lcpubl:L~~ Tho c.ppcllc.nt c,nd tao do coo.sod wo.ro cousins o.nd PU.• t 'l!4{U)SU ... M.'i.LUJ3m, tho sto..r witness,. wr~s tho wife of tl10 dococ.ood., On the fu\p.fu.l dc.,y1 · c.ccording to PW .1, tho c.,ppollc..nt n.ccoBtod PW.1 in tha village nnd .·· . . . ,'• o.sked her tho w!loro~bouts of her husbo,nd~ Ho o:;r:.plm110d why hQ wo..s ,..:. .. - ' .. /2 -i ~- - tt.. , . .:...,.~ 2 .,_ 1,-.;,,."' £ or "--..---.µ..iO~- the Q· "oco"sod• ~ • 1.'.. loct1.l ~ ovclicincma.n he.cl told l:iu, t].,.o c.,ppollant, thn.t the dococ.scd we,s o. w:i.z.-:.rd so ho we,ntocl to to,llt thincs over with t~10 docco.soq. so a.a to o.void. a.ntc:{jonisno TI.1is convorsation w~:s allceoclly in tho present of one Ll,'13~'...SO, a. brothor of t:10 docov.socl, ~-r:10 w'1.s uni.'1cppily dca.d by t!10 tine t!.:..c cc.so ewe up :Z'or :10..:~incr so :10 Y,,s not o.vo.ilablo to r house which t:ioy wo:ro usinc 22 t:.,oir t?,?2.nc.ry, c.nc. fro[1 w'.1icl1 she had just cooe. When PW,.1 wcs 0 oinc bc..ck to t:10 ::-,1.:;o.ndonod :1ouso tho a.ppolln.nt walked pest! her c.nct wo:.1t to w:-:.o:ro tho c.1oco2.soc. wr:..s. Ho stabbed the do coo.sod in tho full view of P'J., l w>.o vrc:.s a. ooro ton oetros froo theo, _. In her oc.rly :re:port. to both PW.3 F2LISL.:.L.. Si."JifGL, c, woDe:,n 1rhose house wo.s some thirty :pD.ccs n.wc..;r, c..nd. PW .4 :CUOCK st.NG:.. tho Vill¾C1'0 Soo:rotn.ry, PW co 1 inplioatod tho o.:ppell.:mt o Wo need not hero corn:iont on the confusion of nc.nes said to h[l,VO boon introduced by PW.3 il'i her str,toncnt to tho Police for that w2.s resolvocl by tho trio..l Cou:rt c..n.c1. is no 1011[,u:r tho subject no.ttor of contrO'IJ'Crsy, except we desire to point out t'.ic-.t it is not quito tho thing to do· to r.12.ko use of t::i.o hllcgod stc-.tec,:mt "by PW~J,. _~s did tho lom-ncd tric.l ju.dee, uithout suc2. stn.tcpont boinG tonclcrod in cvidonoo~_ Bo it as it my, tho cppcl10-nt wc.s arrested d Ifuk..:,0bnku1 cccordine to him on 29th Dacc□bor 1983, 0-nd wc.s evontuo.lly tried o.nc1 :found..-'luil.ty -of, . ' Murder ns afo:rcso..id, Mr. Mwnkilq,s~ arcucd. two grounc.s of c..:;;,]e2.l: tlw first t!lo.t tho 1 evidence adduced wn.s not onouch to bo.,so a conviction of r.nxrdor on, and e~condly that t:1.0 o.,:ppollo.nt 1 s. ru.ibi should h2..vo boon e,ccoptcd., Mr. Mwa.kilo.so. suboittod thr:..t a.s PW.1 wcs tL10 only oyo witness, llor c v i ~ :ooQ.'l.:i.:t'Qd corrobora.tion a.s a. ;:ie,ttor of prudence for c crir:10 so crcvo •.. ,Ho suggested that PW .1 t9stifiod. fo.l.s.olr against tb.Q nppollc..nt been.use ·'110 appoliant had put PW .1 1 s dcughtor, hiii niece, in tho ,fc;:iily wc,y, Fo.r eood ooa.s.uro I., I 3 Mr. Mwc.kilaso. furt:1or suceostod. tlmt it is possibl6 t~1d PW o 1 herself was tho doccusod 1 s killoro I.~"o I'1wn..ldlasa. nlso wondered why, if PW.1 1 s story wore true_, th0 appollc.nt W2.s not cxrcstocl until sono seven weeks later, w)1oro2.s Makc.;.!lx::,.1rn, w~:101"0 ho wc,s picked by tho Police, is just in tho next door district of Njonbo o t1r, So11t:,o:YW2.ji rosponc"..ocl to t).1is: He suboittod thc.t PW .1 know t~10 2,:_)pollf.,nt bofo}:'o c,:.1d t!.:o e,ppollo,;.1t conceded as ouch. PW~1 sc.id she know of no cruc:gos, o..nd tho proena.ncy story wc.s not put to PW., 1 for her to ad.i:ti t or deny§ in any ovont - tho appellant sc.ys the D8,ttGr we,s discussed e,ncl sottlodo __-_s for t~10 dolo,y in w-rosting the appollc.nt r-Ir •. 3ow.si-mji sur□ isocl tlmt it could well h2..vc boon boccuso tho app01lant wo..s n, potty businossi'.m.n at m:ikc~:·.i'..,n.k:o with no firn ad.dross • .1.\.s aforosc:.itl, Nro Mwa.k:ila.sa. also con:plc.inod r.bout his client's alibi, Re suboittod tlmt a.lt~oU2;:1 no notice of it wc..s Given 2-s roq_uircd of tl10 Defonce, the Prose cut ion w::-~s c..wc.ro of its ctistonco by virtue of the fact th2.t tr...o c.p:;>ollc:.nt told tho invostigc:liinc officer, PW. 5 Inspector ·t BENJ..:1.MIN I-t·U•.KLTIKi'.. ,. thc-,t ho w.:.s not involved. in tho r.1urclor, tl1u.t is, an c.libi wcs ioplicit in thc.t ultorc.nco. We c.,ro o..blo to scy 2.t tho outse'j, wi t!1 respect, thc.t Nr~ Mwakiln.sn. 1-a subnission on tho clofcnco of o.libi is c..ocic.odly tl1in, 1.lso in ur{;'ing us to sn,y th::.t PW .1 0ight ~mva boon tho killc~or, _Jl!ir., Mwnkilc.sq. was truly scra.pin,c tho ba.rrol.: It is c. itild n,ncJ. bc-xron tl1cory,_ _wi~out th0 slichtost foundc.tion in tho oviclcnco on record. Tho Prosecution wc..s silent c.s to wlwn t:.10 cppollc.nt wc.s 2.rr0stod so we m.1St co by tho o.ppollo.nt I s own o.sso:r:-tion, -l~hich wc,s not controvortcd 1 that ho wo..s not a.rrostod. until 29th :bocc,Jl,or 1983 1.. t!.1A:t"-,.j.s_ sooc seven weeks after tho event.,. Mr o Mwclcilnsa clid not 00L10 out norc baldly but we think his oblique ins.inun.tion wns tho..t Pi'T, 1 could not hcwe inpliootod tho 2.ppollant on the dn.y of t:.10 incident otb.orwiso tho cppollc.nt would . 4 - hG.ve boon o.rrostod a, lot earlier. 1Jo o..ro ti.n.".-'.Jlo to co :::.lo:nc wi t'..1 locrncd Counsel on this. 1fo c.rc not c.t ru.l surprised t).1.:':.t tho r,p:pcllP-nt was not e.pprchondod sooner the,n ho wcs bo cc.u.so, on his avm a.ccount, ho did not go 1.x1ck to tho villc...50 since ho wont to Ha.k:2JJb:.lm in 1,976, tho.t is seven yonrs _p:coviov.sly. It is therefore possible tl12,t the villq:;ors, includine ·.P1i~ 1, did. not !mow Whe~c ho w-a..s livinc• Indeed .PW .1 (laid tlmt -tl10 e.ppallc.nt wa.s not n frequent visitor encl we think it is sicnific2:.nt c.lso tb.n.t oven P:f .4 Sm'l@J., t::.:.e Ville:,..30 Socrotn.ry ::i,nd so o, :en in nuthority c.t tho villa.ea, did .not d all know t:10 0,ppol12.nt ['.,l though PW .4 l1o.d lived in the villqso since 1981, Tb.ore w2..s ndui ttadly o.. lone oyo wit:.1.css in t'.1is cc.so. Her eviclonce is 116t however detrc'.'.ctocl fro□ bccc,uso of thd fact o..lone. ..'i.s prov~dod under Section 143 of t20 Evidence ~ct, of course no particulo.r nunber of witnesses· is required for tho proof of .::my fa.ct. m12.t wore inportc.nt hc:.:-c were PW, 1 ' s opport1.mi ty to soc whd sb.o clc.i□ed to l1t.wc soon, 2.nd her Mr. Songwa.ji reoc.rkod, the loc.rnod trial juc\::;o wc.s positively it1prcssod by PW .1 c.s a. wi tncss. Wo ourselves find no rer,son to doubt tho vorr,city c.nd reliability of PU.1 1 s t9s.tinony.:·. Wo c.ro s,:i,tisficd th2..t the c..ppolln.nt wi::-,s qui tc l)roporly convicted on tho evit'..onco c,ncl we c.ccordiJ:lGlY disr:iiss t:10 c..ppcn.l. We wish to c.dd one obsorviltion~ }..11 t:10 t'..U'Oc assessors who s:1t with the learned juC:.go advised thc.t tho 2.p:9olla.nt wr.s not Guiltyo 1..s 'WO have h::1d occasion to so.y before, it is•o.. rule of prc.ctice that w:ion a trinl judge dopnrts frorJ tl1.0 unc..ninous views of ~is aaoossors~ ~lbcit not bind.inc;, he should str..tc his rc2..sons for c'..oinc- so. :fo hc.vo clsowhoro referred to this c.s tho s:JG:JSI::L::.. Iulo with roforonco to tho judgonont in , the Court of Appcn.l Cri□ iucJ. J-..ppec.l No. 13 of 1973 - CEI-"-RV)S SillGZS.U.""'L.1 v • Il, 5 an o..ppcc.l fror.1 Tcmz:::..nio.~ In the present en.so tho lca:cncd tria.l judge gave cngnginc reasons for diso.,gTooinc with his assessors o.nd tho Sogcscla Rule wes in our view clce,rl;ir obsorvodo . DNrED nt Io'.ffi:,YA tl1is 3rd clo..y of Scptoobor, 1990.. JU3TIC:8 OF iJ)PElJi JU3TIC)] OF .'\.PP:C::.L N. s .. I>lNZi~v~·~s JUJTIC] ..OF ~1.PPELL I certify that this is a true co:;,y of t:10 dr:1.einal ....... ..A.•·- DDP ' · I-Gd