19890212 TZHC Dar es Salaam

J L AT DAR :::..:S SLIJ~S LPFELLli.TE JTf..lISDICs:1I Oli YHG::: COfJR.T CRHiirnL i2"2~LL no. 14 OF 19e7 OJ.IGIHAL CRIIIIH!:.L CLSI; EO. 2157 9 0 C • ♦ C O ♦ C, ,t ~ C, ,., C, w ,f O O O 4 C O e • D .. O ♦ 0 0 • d • • • 'f • • ,. • -e- I .f ,) • 4 t, 6 O • Ct • • 1t ~ 0 1) • -,f .A.P!'filJLJU:TT ( Oric;inal Accused) versus ]]'fuffiUDil'T Ti:i...IDllli •. • o • ., ~ • o o o • • • • • .- • • • ti e , • ~. ~ ~ o • o. o o o • • • • • a • • • • • o .-.,lli~SPOIIDEilT · ( Oriftinal Prosecutor) JUD(] Cl TCL' L:°LJGL.ICTJ:TGIRA 2 J • This was an appeal by the Director of Pt.1~)1ic Frosecutions a.euim:t scmtcnce. -1.le respondent I:'ala:-u.c.lin Tai bal was bcf orc ·i;;J,c Diotric'ti Court of Ilala a.t Ki vuJ.:oni I'ront oonvictcc. on hin own plea for the o:.:'::?ence of unlc::;1rful possession of firca.1n::i o/ss 13(1) and 31 (2) of the i'.rms ancl L.inraiutltiono Ordinance, Cap.223. The skdic:.,..;7 foots indicate -~>2.:'0 t1-ro pistols und ar.i;nuni tioa uoro foUi"lcl in his cctr but he had no permit for the same. Follouin0 convic·~ion he uas sentenced to o. fine of shs. 30,000.00 or five ;;~cars' imprisom:1cnt; 1fiicll :cine- he paid. :::Io waz also placec1.. 1..u-1clcr police GUp0rviGion for one yea:r, 'TI.1at HM back in Doce::.1ber 1906 before tho offence 1-ras brot1Ght uncler tho First Schcc.~ulc to ·i;he Econoraic encl Orcranised Crinc Con·~rol Act, 1984, as an oconor:iic offence,. Tllo D..,P.P• conplains t~:-.a.t tho son·iicmce uan inadcqu.ato·,. I lincl tho appcru. rather intcrcstine;. iiiss :G.wa,nea for the D,P.P• ari:;uec.l uHll ~110r3y tha.t ·i;b.c ·tri_al ma::;ist:.-atc uas unmindful of tho fact tl.1.at -th.is was a serious Zfc11co attracting a r,1a.,--:inu.>:1 terr:1 of ten yen.rs r iupriso11r,1cnt or a fine of up to SJ.is, 100,000.00, Sha also talked of a:rL1ecl ro1)bcrios bcinc rn.m1,ant in the cow:d;ry. / iir. Lulma:ro for the l"ospondcnt counteroc.l ·i;l12.t t~1c :nn(;-istratc hacl absolufo discretion I have scic.i. t:io.:i; tl1c appeal is rn;i;hei~ in<;erostin0 ., I sey GO booa.uso it brines into question tlrn conduct of the prosocu·i;or be:corc tho trial court rather than al~"-:" t:.ii11G' done or omi·btcd 1)y ·i;hc trial macist:.-atc, Ju.st before son-i;onco tho prosecu·~or o·i;ood up and uttci"od J0lu-co words only -:- 111To previous record 11 - 2.;.1d sa.t clmm ui•i.11 satisfaction. The rcaponclont then ac.lclcc.l a. s·~rinc::;- of o,.;l10r ciitie;ating factors. I use the uord flothc1"" cle li 1JCratcly for iihm1 c:i.;1 accused person has no previous roco::.•c:.; and thcro:fore a 1irst offcnclcr 9 any 1,orson conversant ui tD.. penal practice uill toll you t!lat such accnsocl is to 'be trcatetl uit:.i lcnieacy. Miss :3.ue:n0 a thoUGht o·~hcr-:- 1-rioc and arcuecl that t~1e prosecutor clid not [JO further to point out the soriot.,sncss of the offence a:.1c1 ·the desirability of a c.lcterrcnt sentence for ·chose arc r,12.ttcrs tllo sentcncinc; court was prcou.-:iccl to k:nou f:ron practice. .I uill be frank a.ncl con- fess that I un not aiTa.rc of such a practice; nncl I c:i..1 wmillinc -to accept tho suc-:- costion that a sentencing cottrt is ox.:,cc·i;ecl ·~o i:rork i taelf up into oano sor·t; o:i:' ....... /2 / I - 2 - frenzy p,ncl to inposo a clotorrent so;x~cncc :-.1crcly because t:::.e crir:10 in questioa is notorious or- is a e;ravc one in -;;:10 o:"c::J of the law, or -t~rn;i; the D.P .. P. hM cause to cor.1:)lc.:,in if ouch a frenzy i □ no·~ :forthcowinG, T.'.~c:rc arc Holl lm01m considerations upon uhich scntcncinc; l)rococcls anc.l t1.losc arc '0a.sic2.lly tho 11.:,turo of tho off once o.ncl ·i;!J.c attri buteo of t:w o:>?f'cnclcr 1 or whaJG is generally torr.we"\. tho incliviclualisation of puniob.racnt~ n is nci t!J.cr correct nor just necb.a;nically to visit every convicted person ui•;;:i. w.1 c::omplary pw.1isJ:).j"Je,yi; nercly bcoo.usc ·chc crime corilTJ.i ttec.l happens to be ~otoriou.s re 0 ardless of t.'l.o. circl.l.i-:istanccn in u:iio:i it iTas c0i.:7:;u·cfod. Courts of lau 2.ro no·:; ocntencine i.loohinos ·i;o be sw'i tchecl 0~1 nncl loft to rar.1page on ·i;hcir mnH it 1Jc.11oves ·i;1J.e prosecution to justify i;.1 ovc:ry case the penalty they claim to be c1,i1proprin;:;e for the offence and the of:fonclcr. A sonfonciri-e court nill certainly :lave ro 0 a;rcl to tho JTavity of tho offence, its prevalence a.."1.cl tho harr:i it; holt'.o ou·~ to GocioJi;y; but it will elso tLU.''.l:l ·i;o consider fac inc.li viclual offender in t:~c lic;ht o1 al\Y aeeravatinc and niUc;a:'d11c factors, Those statutes w~:?.ich provic.1.e :cor ,.1anclatory a..-::cnplary nininun oonfoncec rogardlcso of ;-.1iti0 ation have no p:1.•o·bonce to universal justice ancl arc thu.n irrclovan·i; :for a i:10clcl. In -'-;b.c insta.1-i·~ case ·i;ho prosecution 8Llvn.ncocl no C,TOL1•.11c.ls in agr;r£wation of oontencq ironically, ,rh2.t tho prosocu-cor ndcl uas in mitic;atio;.1 of sentence. It is hence a contraclic·i;ion on ti.1e pa.r·i; of the learned D.P.P. -'i;o turn a.round an.cl coaplein n&cinot so11·[;0;1cc nncl on groL:llt.lo never canvassed be::ore the sentencinc court. I think t:12.t ·c'.:io ouffices to clisposo of the appe2..l but Ao ric~'.-'GlJ o~xrnrvecl lJy Mr. Lul:.;n.ro t:uo 112..s a cc100 in 11~:i.ich tb.C: -!;ri2,l 00L1.r·b had absolufo cliGcretion in oontoncine. 'lli.n:t; boinc;· so it in not available :for o.n a.ppollatc cow:t ·i;o in·borforc unlcos -'..::_10 c.liocrotion was no-'G judiciously o=o:rciooc.1., Thia cov.rt can -:;:1crefore interfere only i:Z it is shc1rn thn;i; the sentence iL1pooccl uas :tai7.ifos·iily inadequate, ua.s unln1r:u1, or procccdotl on a func.lru;1cntal nis2..ppro"." hcnsion of ·l;l1c facts or la.r 4 Looldnc .:;,.;[; ·i;~w rooorc1 1 ~owcvor, it is evident th2..t tl10 sontoncc inpoooc.l 1Tc1s neither whinoio2,l nor f2Xlciful. 11110 trial naeis-'.i:rntc dicl o;:proGsly ob::iorve t:1at tl:o offence 2,-'.;·i;ra.o·ccd a nc:,;;;:iuun terr.1 of ten yce.rs r imprisonnmrl; or fine of Slic 0 100,ooo.oo, i:rb.ic~::., in rw vieu, indicatocl ~1is n,·i;-~on.:. tivcnoso -'co ·li:10 e,-r ...,_,vi ty of the of:fonco. ITc ·i;hci1 tur;.1ocl to the fa.ct tha·i:; tho and pa;ronts, nll of w:rnn clcponclecl on hin, c1nc.l t.1.10 furt~wr :.:nct tl1at he uas a c.lio..botic c21.::'e Hi tb. hypertension roqt.tlrinc conotnnt noc.1.iccl attention.,. ~-'.avinc done so, ho o=i,1·c<"lsl:,~ ruled out t21c sl'd.·cn.bili ty of 2, c1,1.stoclicl sontcnoo c111Cl so-[;"."° for ':i~12,t ho to1..,_1ccl 71 a 1.ionvy finott of sh□ .30,000"00 or fivo.ycru:-s' iuprison- nont il1 c.lcfeLtlt. ITo ucnt furtl1or 2nd plnccc.l tho rosponcl.cnt unclor police supor--:- vision for one irear. To sugc;cot, 08 iii:::is :Ci1r2Xl{;c.. clicl, ·t;!u,t in i:ipi to of nll ·chio process tl10 tricl r.1"-eistrato clid ;.10-i; a::orciso hio discretion jucliciously is. to sue-cost e.not.:1or ,.1cariinc; for tho..t co1iccf.;. In fe..ct t:10rc were yot r;iorc factors in the responc~untfs favour. Firi:rii, ~1.0 plo2..Clecl tsuilt;r -'.;o t!.1.0 charco thereby showinc t:1at I10 HM contri to O..l)2.I'-'v fJ:or.1 s2,viU5 tho cov.r-'-; nncl tl1c Republic ·liir.10 anc.l azpcn.sc. Scconclly, there was no succostion th2,t tho rooponc'..ont hau. ·iil:?.c .... ". ~/2 3 firoa.rr.ru f o:r mil.ai-r.ful purposon. In f oe·t t.2is cou:rt :'las sil:i.co· boon told ·l;;::..;:.,-t ho had 2, pc:L--.nit ior a ;rifle n.ncl l1f'il. rocon-tly acquiroC:._ the offonsiv<?. pistols fron a c.lcpa:rtinc; friend but hacl foolicl1l.7 tru.con hi~ tine to ~oesulariso their acquisition., I ·lilu.nlc, Hitb. rcspoc·~, tl121:'i; in tllo oirct.1.i-:1st2.1100s oot out horoin one oc111l10-l; question the ndoqua.oy of ·;;]le sontonoe- iraposocl uithout d.oini viQlm~oo to justice.. Spoaldng for eysolf, l 2,0·~tmlly tiun:-;: tb.a.t ·'.;he aJ.tornc!.tivc five- year prison sonfonco was slichtlJr on tho ;1~l?h. sic.le. \', ._.,·_ ... . In s1JJi1, I Zi,ncl no i.10ri t in tJ.2io np:,oaJ. nl1ic~1 I oocorclingly clisr.1iss. JUI)GE DAR ES Sli.L!Jui 12/2/89 /