19770905 TZHC Dodoma1

IN TH:::; HIGH. COURT · OF TL.llTZLNIL. cnrr,rrillTl .uT ....:··T., ·l l.\.-.• ,·.,:: 1· 1.;,J·.0 •· 139,:·.·-0F- -1977. :. . ,.,. : JD. · .·. ~·:;'', . - .···· OUIGIIJ./..L ·cJ.IK]TL'~L )]!~GE Nb.

51. OF f977 OF THE DIS'.L'RICT co·GRT OF SINGibA DISTRICT AT 8IPGIDA .. -~· . ·._:. . ' . ,.. BEFORE: 1~.H.M.l MTDNGETI ~- .'.~'- • •• :.• Ir:J ⇒I:o:;:;:.-T L.h.GISTRATE ]DDS EPJ;ril'.PJC ' •. • • : • • • • • ' •.·.: ; A$'PbLLLWi: _versus .... t : : I , ;, .. . 1 '·cttARGE: 1st Ct: H(?US.$-brfiaking c/s -~ 9,~~(J), of the Penal Code e_ _ :-~2nd ·Ct.::, . Stealing. c/s 265 of. ,~he ·J?snal Code ...... ~:;~, -~\ ... ~ ;:-- ;-:f;,- • , • . - , ,~: • .. .. . . . · c_, • . . • : 1. , . 1 '~.~- · :' -The· appellant, Ed~s,Epfanark, was. coriyi·c,ted by Singj_da · i,;;· ":. District Court of the · offences of. housebre2,kinc and stealinc ·.::. p/ss 294(2) · and 265 of the J?enp,l Cod,e, ·;a.,.'1d was santenced to three years ir::.prisoru,1en.t:i--1r.Ci'espect c;:,:r -·,l;h·,. o:If~nce of _housel:n:~eaking, Bnd one year. iriprisonrient in respect of the ·offence of ste~linc{, which sentences were ordered to run Concurrently. no:w . appeals. Ho . . ' . In brief, ··tho' prcfsecv.tion' s evidence wz::,s tl1a t on 22nd Novei:lber, 1976, the cotl.plainant .was, .~hifting fron a house at Unyankindi to c::motlwr··houso a:t' Jfaj~ngo: in \·sint..ida township. : Jt JvOuld aj_J1Ysr-:.r' -f.ihD,t h3 used a Volkswag0n Conoi for the . ·pv.rpose· and E1.2~d.o sovc:ral trips before he :finish:..:d noving a11· his property fron ·che old hous.o to thG n,~w one. Aft Gr J.J.ov:i.nG to the n.;;w house ho

discov?r ·.cl, after sone tine, that sonG his ite□ s 1-rnre nissinc. On.9 of the nissing itens was 0:,,bolt which bz,d his ne1·c1:J on it. Sonetino lnter he rE~•ceivGd infortu.:.-tion ·U.1e,-;; the appellant had b ,:, on o._;e::n w0aring tho c onplain:::rnt' s bolt •. The con1)lairuui t then rci)orted · thu no::~ter to police •. Uhcn e, police officer searched th3 appellant's hous8 on 26/11/76, they found the co:.1plainant' s belt inside a sui tease of the c:1.ppGll2,:1·c. Tho appellant could give no account as to how h8 cooo to poososs the conp~2.in-2nt I s bcl t. It wan 2.ls o in cvid0nc e that whilo I.'lakinc; the trips fron tho old hous'..J to the n,:w one the conplr-1.ino.nt used to close his d.oor but was not locking it, and that at all m':l.tcrial tinus the 2. i:)0llant used to rent a roon in the house fron which the conplain-').nt vacated. Apart fron that evidenc13, however, the conpl2.inant was uncertain as to th0 place fror.:1 i'lhGre the belt was stolen. In his defoDc c, the appello.nt denied havinr;. stolen the belt, and further deniud 'that tho belt was found in his possession. Ioplioi tly,. the a 1_)pellan t all0G0d th2:. t tho belt was a ~lant. The loa ru..Jcl trj_al resident nagis·crato accepted the prc,s0cution's 0vil~once and roj8ctcd the 2.:.:i?cll.2,at's story. 2 There was ar1 1Jlo oviC;cnco to justify the lr.:arncd E1ae;istratE. J finding thc>.t tb<,

e.ppellMt wD.s in fact found in lJO:c:sossion of the conpl:-:.i.n.:~nt 1 s belt wi·:;hin four days o.ftcr the theft. Tho npJellant 1 s bnre de:rii:::tl of possession in thr.: f:'l.ce of cogen~c evidence fron indepencLmt wi tiJosr-::i s. w::i,s cert:;inly ridiculouri ,, In ny vi 3W, th:: r . fore, 'it is ovident the:, t tJi:; :.,,~_):pcllnnt' s possession of thu belt was not innoc::mt, 2.11d. in view of thu very sl1ort ;period that elapsed botwc :n tho theft on d the po_sSGGsion, th<.: doctrinu of recent' J)Om.3ession was correctly 2.)J_'li,;cl in so far gs th.:; offoncu of s·cealing was concerned. · However, in vi0w of · tho conpl2dn-.nt' B :;vi(~:..mce, I do not think it s2dt-.J to sustain tho ccnvicti:-in for housobreakinc;. Thu appullant nic;h t h.'',V.J l;ickoC. UJ:) tlH: belt when it w2.s clrorJlX;d by the conpl::dn2.nt in th:~ course of noving the articl. s froi:1 his old house to thu new one. I do not think, th,-r,:;fc.,rt9, that it. would be s2,:f\,. JGo>infer th2.,t the a:ppello.nt brok·J int0 the cc1np).aii1ant' s house. • ·; J ' On th0se grcuncl.s., the) ccmvi.ction in rsCJ~x,ct of th0· off once of housDbr :~8.king, which c6nviction/incJc1ont2lly, 1 was not su::;::;•orted by the ,Republic., is heroby QF:'..Sh.Jcl, and the sentence of thr::,u y,;ars inprisonr.:.ent in re::;;ip• ct thnreto. is set 0,side .•. Tho a;;,p.:)o..l 0 g~inst conviction:in r_cspbct· of

th·:; offGnc e of· stetilin:3, ·. h<)wev~Jr, · is di::miss,?d. As tne ,.ssntonce in rosp;1ct th:,::re;tQ cc.'.nnot be said to }').:~~ ¢%Ces,sive-, i·t is to ·•s tsn1d. , .. ·. ....... '",,,: . To th0 extFrt inclicnt2d h.:rein, but it is othc rwis'e di~:Fussed~ . ; ·. ·-·· // ,/,.-,'{/-, I,,.'/:;- ......, .. /l!'.' ·:11. _ . -~ f \l{, ,_·._ch·/. , ~: ~-? . B ■ T./.e . li)-;:; t,,- . fudge:,; Deli vorcd in op,in Cpurt at. Doclon2, this 5th d:-::.Y of Sopt0nhcr, 1977 ~ I'., .1.'·