19920703 TZHC Dar es Salaam

IN THE HIGH C(.;URT vF TANZANIA .bf nAR ES SALAAM APPELLATE JURISDICTivN (PC) .HIGH C0URT CRIMINAL Af·F EAL Nv. 26 GF 1991 vRIGINAL CRH1INAL Al·P EAL NG. 5 0F 199C C;F THE DISTRICT CCURT GF KINGNDONI DISTRICT AT KISUTU (Manzese Primary court Criminal C. No.112/f:-9) 3efore Jo Me Jibrea, Esq., Jllis.t.riet Magistrate MICHAEL SANG A ., o o o o o • o • • • • • • • APPELLANT {Original A.ccused) versus. THE UNITED REPU::1LIC. ou•...,•·•• RESt•jNDENT {original i:rosec.utor) KYANDv, .J: There is no dispute on the facts in this ea·.se. Tn.e apptil.lant uproote~ four banana trees anA other plants on a plot of lanA which he an~ the complainant each claime~ to be-the owne~. ThGy are neighbours in the area where they live an~~it wou1~-app~ar that the ap~ellant felt that the complainant ha~ extenAeA into a portion , of lan~ which belongs to him when plaint1ng the trees anA other pl~nts therein. The c~rnplainant went anA comp,la1ne-' to the police an11 the police referre~ the matter to the Jl'imary Co'l:lrt at Manzese, ha!' es Salaam~ There this ca.se was institute~""'against the appel1lant anA at the conclusion-of the trial he was foun,. gui:tty o:'i malicious 11amage t~ property unAer s .. 326 tl) of the penal coAe an,.; was convieteA'! He was then sentence~ to a fine of sh1;,1,c ... C/= )r imprisonment for three months an-' w.as also orAereA to pay . compensation of shso 2, OCO/= to the complainant• He was aggrieven by the Aonviction, sentence anA the orA·er for compensation. He- appeale~ against .these to the District court of-Kinondoni,.· at Kisutu, but there, too, he was unsuccessful.,: UnAaunteA·,_ he has now appealeA· to this court. • • " ••./2 -- 2 ., . In Ai,sm__lssing the appellant,·s· appeal·, the "istrict Court followed the-Aeeision of this Court in ,.,GRIS TW!SA v •. RASHIDI Ai:mALLAH (PC) ·c1vo· App. No;, 44 of 19CS ( Dar es Salaam Registry) (Unreported).. (The learne~ Magistrate erroneously -says tne ju~gment in ttiat ease was mine, but it r,ras 3ah~ti; J'.s juAgI!lent). Jefo~e me Mr.·" Kisusi for the appellant ref erreA t,:, SAIDI v; R . (197C) HCD ·n. 145 and NGGWI v,. R (1971) HC!> n .. 2cs.· . In SAID vr R, the appellant ot-dere~ s:)meone to cut rtown a tree, which the complainant claimeA as hers, without informing her. .'?he appellant r':t,,rnot ~eny that the shamba belongert to the eomplainant but sai~ tha~ he maAe use of the tyees on that pal't of the shamba every year without anyone compl~in_ing. He cl~ime.a; however, that he-was l'esponsibl~ for the Ai.stribution of his father•• estate anA that he shareA the·part of the shamba hav1ng +:.rees with the ec,rnplainant. :3rambl·e, J. (as he then was) hel• that the appellant eut ._he tJPee• ·1n the·· exeicise. of what he genw.nely eonsiAeren to""bt! his ~.1.ght• He sa1A, 0 'lhe exercise of a Jtigh~ reasonably founAe• with_ •eapeet to... ptNpe.rty. cannot be. the basi8- of a e2:imine1 e_ha1:ge ftSr~iciou• .--mage unless 1 t can b,e s,hown tha-e the appellant ~1., moce..,th·an was .reas;.)nably- .• neeese.a•y tc- . enfort'!e the zigl-rt. he .elaime4• 'Jhere was no- evi-4enae · that it was so. 11 Jn ~ow1· Ve ..,li, the appellant wa• eo~e.e ,:t malic1ous ""amage to prtiperty by uprooting tr~e~ 7h.e»e w~a no fin"ing., . that. the lanA fr<.:im which the t.t-ees woeaa ui,..)~)'\e.& ~ -an-&j_F..!?~MW the e0mplainan,1 s. rt wa~ .hel• bj K~ma, Agt •.X. •· {as he tt\en .; was) that thej,e was e~nsiA~J'abie -'ouht aa t.-_. wh·-,· was entitle,. . 1 .... to ·oecupy' the Aistsute~ lanA an.ii as. ~ •he appel,lqnt e ..)\21"' nvt hav~ been hel~ to- ae:t with,•ut c;·.l·;u• '-'' ,1gnt·when Ile uproote, t.tees plante~ by th~ edt'ipl'ainant -•n the "'i,s.put~"' lan"'" :tf the appellant, -the 1eaJPne4 Ju,.ge wen\ ,")n · tc, •ay, hel"' a belief ·that_ he ha~ a ela1m t,, the ianA he was, entitleA t-, rernovei ~ny.,oblect planteA there b)l tl\e ~,.-implatnant. . l fin"" the present ease to bt:! c-'n all f :1.,- \iilh-th~se two ,· easelJ above• e~peeiall.y the seec-nA onei; 'Jhe,e j.s in"'ee"' a ,, long· lS,ne of auth01:iti.e t_v the same efteefte vne s,.c:h othe_.. . ·r. .. ,, authci'1t1,es to-this effect la 'che C0UJP\ C'!f Appeal ( ) f Tanzania ease of F;li"\,JnAa G~1:son-& 6. G\hel';· .J, R l~Al ••• APP~ No. -1c .. : ·: : .\f~;. .· ~. of 19r:5 (unrepurte~'l an~ if we have t •.) p•0~eA ~,,m prece.3ent ·• ·• ·•• /3 . 3 ... to prece.Aent,.ss we-must unAPubteAly Au, the Aec:isi-::-n 1n '!')oris TWisa v. Rashidi Ab~allah is, to the best of my kn•:·wle"'ge, with0ut prece-"ento . In the instant case-no Aetermination was maAe- . in wh•.;se, between the appellant an.A the c~mplainant., the lanA-in "'ispute was. One may ask: suppos~, in the en", it was f·1unA to be actually appellant's w1..ulA he still be guilty of rnalich,us Aarnage? Certainly not. Gn the c,··ntrary he might be · justifie"' to brin§ an aation against the c0mplainant f"r trespassing en his lanA. Jut (:Jhat is impoftant is the question whether the appellant's min-" was tainte-"· with criminal intent if he h,mestly belie'le:it that he was acting in .pre 'eecticn of his . .wn rights in the lan,.. It certainly was net anA in the absence ,,f criminal intent there cannot be criminal resp~nsibility - as a general rule. On auth(Jri~y therefure the-"'ecisL1ns •1f the tvfo c""lu.rt.s below in this case are wr~,ng anA •are hereby .quashe"' an"' set - asiAe. I allow the appellant I s appeal to tnis c:'urt, set asiAe the sentences impose~, tt:gether with the orAt:?r for c•mpensation. , If the appe1lant ... has paiA :these (the fine anA c •IDpensati,n) he is .to be refun--1e~ them. AtiA if the c•. mplainant still wishes to pursue the matter ne shoulA prt'ioeeA by way of a civil S'Jit.t, n~t by criminal proceeAings as he Ai~ in thiL ease. t~/:.. /)~ ,l.f~-V • • KYAN,:,0 JUDGE DAR ES SALAAM. 3/7/92 coramt Kyando, J. For the appellant - Kisusi For the resp,;nAent - absent. JUAgment on 9/7/92 ~. D. P to be notif.ied. L. A• A• KYAN'J0 JUDGE 3/7/92