19940801 TZCA Mwanza

m TTIE COURT OF .APPEAL OF Tl.NZ.ANIA Kr Ml-T.ANZA CRIMDIJJ, .:.FPEAL NO. 77 OF 1993 BE1'1-r.l:EN MICIIAEL LUllIY:Z •• 0 ·• • ..iND TIIE REPUBLIC. • .. . .. ..• • ill'.i!3PCNDThTT (1i;ppeal from the caiwiction of the II.i.gh Court of Tanzania at Tabora) (Karosso 2 J.). dated the 8th dey of J.;r;xril, 1993 in Criminal [;essione dase No. 1Qi of 1990 JUDGEMrnT OF THE COU:lT MNUVAf3, J.J•• s The appellant, :trJ.ichael Iuhiyo, was charged with and o0!1V'ioted of lllUt'der o/s 196 of the Penal Code by the High Court, (Korosso, J.), sitting in Tabora; and the mandatory sentence af death was handed down. Dissatisfied with the finding of the !Iigh Court he has oome to this Court. The charge af murder alleged that the appellant on or about the 19th d·a.y-=Gf-July-,--1989-at·the Jianeei=-i::wenyewe village wnhin-Ura:mbo - district, Tabora region, murdered one, Mahe.med llaehidi. After a full trial the High Court (Korosso, J.) was satisfied that the prosecution had provod the oha,rgo of mut'der against the appellant beyond reasonable doubt and, as already mentioned above, convicted him and imposed tho death sentence • ••••/2 . -• 2 ..:. Before us Mr. Muhula, loarnod d0fenco CO\msol oomple..inod tbet· the trial we.a a. nullity os; it was lll'glmd, it wo.s oonduotod without the aid of assessors. In support of his a.rgumont r,1r. Muhulo. referred tho Court ., to pc.gos 6, 7, 12 end 15 of the proceedings where it is sh01m that the three o.asessors wore not given opportunity to cross-1;!:x:e.mine the witnesses individually• The record apPeo.red to show that ell the ossessors cross-0A£l,lllined the witness together and the witnesses answered them togothor. This procedure ucs, o.ocording to the lonrnod Counsel's submission, tc.ntnmount to trying the oaso wi thou~ tho aid of assessors and we woro invited to !lll'.ke o. finding tho.t tho tr-ial wr:.s o. nullity. In tho cl tornativo, but without prC;ljudicc to tho nbovo o.rgumont, tho lac.mod defence Counsel submi ttod that -tho---tl'icl Court did not- seriously Md oomprohonsively consider th.:.i oirownstonoes under which tho r-,ppollant oonfEissed to tho killing. It we,s nrguod that h..".d tho lo::,,rnod judgo properly directed his mind to tho evidence before !um he would b,nvo found toot 1:1,ppalla.nt I s confession to the police - oxhl bit c, ·wo.s involunto;cy cs, it wo.s submitted, t '. the o.ppoll.Mt wo.s subjected to violonco before he go.Ve his confessional sto.temont. 1w to the evidence of tr.a villogo oh..wmnn, {Pw.3), who testified tb.nt tha c.ppollnnt hnd volunto.rily confessed to tho killine of t~ decoe.sod end tb,nt the o.ppollcnt go.vo the reason for the killing o.s dooe,.sod I s taking his ( nppellQ.rlt I s) fioncee nnd deceasod mcld.ng bi-m. {o.PJ>.o~l£:!li)__) .. mpotcmt by moons __ of wi tohcraft Iv.tr. Muhuln a.rauod th3t tho appellant ho.d rotrllOtod his confession and that thoro -wo.s no independent ovidonoo tho.t oorr..oboro.tod tho rotro.otG>d oonfess'ion that it wcs tho c.ppollant who murdered the decocsed. The lor-rnod dofenoe Counsel preyed that the appocl bo uphold lll'l.d cppcllcnt bo • so-t froo. • ••• /3 3 In rebuttal ¥Jr. Kad.uri, learned Senior State ~~ttornoy, concodod that it wo.s irrogulc.r on tho psrt of tb.e loo.med trial jud[,'O to record tho cross~xr.mino.'tTon of· the o.ssossars-··m cn 11 oi;ini bus" f-o.s1uon-but_ it wes Q.l'guod that tho irrogulnri ty did not oooa.sion fdluro of justice• :..s for tho crgumont tmt -the rotrc.otod confession should not ho.Vo ·~eon roliod upon by the tric.l judf;c to convict t!J.o o.ppollcnt Mr. Kaduri, loo.rnod Counsel for tho Republic, submi ttod thn.t tho confession of tho <'-PPellnnt was so doto.iled tlu:.t it could not hn.vo r ,. been no.rro.ted by rixzy parson other th~ tho 0,:ppello.nt. It we.a Cl-"guod that there wcs no ovidenoe thnt tho e,ppcllri.nt we.a subjected to such Violonoo as would hcvc induced him to scy to tho police wh..1.t ho would not haVo so.id. The Court wns asked to find t:.int o.ppellnnt Is cautioned sto.toment to tho police and his st~toment to the ohnirmnn (PW.3), that it was ha who ki-l=lod t!ia-G:ucocsod...woro. fro~-end .voluntary end tlU!.t the appeal should bo dismissed. Wo have minutely eX£1oined the ovidonoe tendered boforo the Court of first instance end wo ogroe with the loarnod dofonoo Counsel tlmt it was imp:1.•op0r for tho trial judge to nllow the nssossors to po.rtioipnte in tho tricl of the co.so the way they pa.rtioipr:.tod. In a. tric.l with assessors, o.s it wa.s in tJ:i.is co.so, co.oh nssossor (if ho wishes to cross-axe.mine) hes to oross-o:xn.raino the witness/s individually r:nd tho answers thereto should bo recorded sep::.:rctoly. T'..10ro wc.s olca.rly on irroeulari ty in tho wey tho o.ssossors pnrticipo.ted in tho hearing of t!u.s co.so. Dut o.s Mr. Mubulc., loo.med defence Counsel, will no doubt ~co on reflection,- it is one thizl:g to sey__~:,nt there was nnj.~_!'?ffillo.rily in tho onnnor tho assessors pc.rticip~t0d in the hooring of tho oo.s,e, and qui to nno!her ••••/4 4 thing to sn.y thnt such illcgulo.ri ty vi tfoted the proceedin,35. R:ifore pronouncing nny proceedin& in .:i. crininol c"-80 to be n nullity it tlll.St be shown tb.c.t tho irrogulc.ri1y wo.s such that it pre judi.cGd the c.ccusod and therefore occc.sioned failure of justice. In tho :present case i t __ is e.nply cle:-.r t]mt the tric.l dour'); go.ve a sucmine up of tho evidence to tho o.ssosaaraJ o.nd takine into o.ccount ·their opinions ns to ti.kl guilt or otharwiso of the .:-.ppollo.nt it cannot, with ~ stretch of the imn.::;inc.tian, be sc.id tb.c.t tho trinl of the nppolfont w.::i.s conducted without the aid of assessors. It is our considered viow thnt the irrecuJ.o.ri ty did not in any wey occasion fcilurc of justice. Thnt disposes tho 1st e,Tound of a.ppenl. Coru.nc to tho second t:,-round of npponl that thGro w~ no corroboration of <'..Ppellnnt I s rotre.cted confession .:ind thzt--tl.:9-leo.rned trial judge did not wt>.rn hiz;::self of tho dn,neer of basine a conviction on such ovidancc wo, with respect aereo with tb.Ei loamed dofonce ... It Counsel, that it is olweys dosirnble to look for corroboration in support of a confession which hns been rotr~ted before o.ctine on such confession to the detri;.10nt of on aoouaod p,,r,Hm; but with even €,Teater respect to the learned Counsel t:.:.oro is a lone end unbroken chain of authorities thnt a Court □ey convict on a retrnted confession evon without corroboration. In the case of i:1 v GAE s/ o M.:J:MBA and ,mother ( 1945) 12 E11C!.. 82 it was held thats "Thero is no rule of law or prc.ctioe □a.kine corroborc.tion of c retrc,ctod confession ossantinl. Corroborntion of a retrncted confossian i!3 desirable but if the Court is fully satisfied that the confession ... • •••• /5 .._ -, 5 ca.nnot but be true,. there is no reason in lo.w wey it should not act upon i t. 11 In nnothor decision three yea.rs lc.ter the Eastern :,frica. Court of .A,ppoal so.id in R v K.Af'ERERE s/ o M.{.'i:l A - ( 1948) 15 m..\CA 56 • "l. Court raey convict on a. retracted confession evon wi thouf corroboration though such confession must bo recoived with groo.t caution and resorvo." There are .r;m.ny othor decisions by the E.:istern .'.;frio~ Court of APponl,-:tho -~.a,t- Mrioo. ·COIU't of ·:zrppei:il and the T;:,.nzo.nie Court=of-{i;ppeal to tho so.oe offoot, To raentian the oelobratod dooisicn in tho oc.se of - M'A,MOI v U0:.ND4 ( 1967) EA §4 the Court had this to soy intor alias 11 1fo would sUDl.ll),1'ise tho position thus, a trial Court should accept ony confession which hn.s boon rotro.ctod or ropudinted with caution, ond tnWt before found.iZJG o. conviction on such o. confession be fully satisfied in all the oircucstances of tho case tha.t tho confession is true. The so.oe stondo.rd of proof is required in all cnsos and usually a Court will only c.ot on tl10 canfeosion if oarroboro.tod in so.ca tlll.torinl particulars by indepondent evidence o.ocoptod by the Court. But corrabora.tion is not necessary in lc.w and the Court oey act on a ·· confession alone if it is fully satisfied after oonsiderina all tho t.lf.lterial points and surroundine oiroumstMooa tha.t tho conf'ession oa.nnot but bo true," Cocing to tho ca.se in h::i.nd it is true a.a r1Bhtly a.t'6U-Od by the loo.med dofenoo Counsel, tha.t the learned judeo did not fully advert his mind to tho law tha.t a. retro.oted confession should be a.cooptod •••• /6 ... • 6 with co.ution but in his jud(.;c3r.11m-t ho nl)})oc.rs to hovo boon satisfied in his mind tbnt tc.kinc into nocount tho ciJ:'cU1JStrincos of the oaao tho confession could not but bo true. Tho.t he w~.s of tho.t view is evident frora his pronouncooont on pogo 33 of the typed judeooont whero ho sa;ys inter o.lio.s 11 ••• I an fully convinced ~lint tho accused wont to tho chairi:um lllld confossod killinG tho docoased. • •• P'tT.3 is a b.iGhlY raspectod parson in the villC<.:,"'e of Jionoe-mwenyowo. Ho hns boen tho villnce oh.1,iroon for sovon years in succession. It is difficult to entertru.n tho least belief that PW.3 could h~ve decided to iopliocto ·-· _.. _. __ the accused in·"ffus ca.pi to.l offence. • •• Thoro was no ovidonoe thnt Pl'1e3 wtlEI rolated to tho-dcconsed.. •.. Tho oantonta in exhibit c.1 ere so dotailod end intimto that no body elso but tho cccusod could have LUldo it frot1 tho troo.sures of his henrt. 11 The loo.rned trio.l juJGe than concluded tho.t o.ppallant•s confession to the police - exhibit c.1 wo.s freo nnd voluntc:ry o.nd convicted the a.ppello.nt of the offence of raurder as chcr6 od. With respect to tho learned judc;o we nsroe with his findins toot-----· appellant's co.utionod sto.teoont to the police was so detailed, alnbornte ond thorouch thnt no other parson could h,wo rand.a the stotoment but t!lo appollnnt. His co.utionad stctoraont to the effect that ha decided to attnclc.. tho ciooonsed with a po.nga c.nd c. stick on the hood o.fter bo was told by witch doctors tho.t it wo.a tho cloooaaod who had n!O,Cle him •••• /7 ... • · ..J 7 ( nppello.nt) inpotent by raoans of wi tch-crdt w~s so personcl t!mt no othar person would have such infor~!i._on_. So we.a his stc.tooont tho.t ha hnd visi tod Govarncont hospi tnls in Urnr.ibo nnd Ki bondo and o. numbor af wi toh-cl:ootara far troo.tr.ion-t- but thr.i.t ho oould not raec-.in his virility• .lind, to crown it o.ll, his cnutionod sta.taraent to tho police officer, PW.1, that ha cut the docensod an tho bond with n pnnsa. tnlliod with the post-corto □ report - o.xhl bit P.1 which showed tho.t ( tha deooasod hc.d a. cut wound on the head. Tho evidence a.mply oorrobaro.tod o.ppellnnt's rotrc.ctod confession; if corr·obc:.ra.tion wc.s nocossa...-y. Mey be it is clso not irrel0Vant to ocmtion that it is- tha o.ppellant who led tho village clu:.iri:u:.n (PW.3) to h.is (o.ppello.nt 1 s) houso whore ha produced tho pcn~c ho had used in o.ttaoking the daceo.sod. For evidence to be so consis~~~~- tho only comcOl'.l donoainc.tar, scve perjury, rust bo truth. /!J)pallc.nt 1s retracted oonfossion was, in our oansidorod-viow, a. clumsy a.t:te-1apt to 0vauo the oansoquonoos af his- acts. 'We a;re satisfied that the o,pp1:,llant wo.s properly convicted af the offence of murder cs obarBed. Tbo sentence of d.oath is mnndatory. In tho ovent wo ardor tho.t, tl!e c:pponl bo disoissod in its entirety. Dl.lTED at M:·TJ.NZll. this 1st d.ey of l.usust, 1994. , •••;a • . I , 8 n.n. ICTSJ,NG.11. JUSTICE-OF !i.PPEJ.J, JUSTICE OF J:PPEJ.J, ) N .s. MNZ!Yi.S .JUSTICE OB' l'J'l'IikU. I oortify tho.t this is c true copy of tho oriainoi. :L,/. .. /:.,,- 1'-&~/.-- ( M,S; ~!Lllitrl.LI ) D~PUTY RE(}!siru.n • . .