19771210 TZHC Mwanza

IN THU: HIGH COliR.T OF r!11\Tl.i,:.J:U1 J.1:-'1'Ji:LLil'I'.E: JD.:{ J"$D lGTIBN HlGH C·:•U.i.T CRIT'LT.L'.., ~-rL\[J no, ?14 OF 1977. CF. NilSC. c.a.c.AUSIT: N0.11/77 (Orig:i.nal .:(rJ.m;in.31 0c..,su }fo•· 70 ,of 1976 of th::: .l.Jistrict Go~t .of. Bukoba D,~,str,i:.ct..'.'lt1 .Buk.,C:ba - Bafc.r¥ s~n.i1.ch-3m:c·:i:•·,·o-; :S~;q.; .Resilent Magistrate) .:i·.:" .....~ ~ .. . . : . : ' . . ... · , . ; B'·RT 1.z.,R n . J,_ .... , ST- ·,·N· ~·hu• iJS ••••••••• ~ •• ·•••••••••. , •••• .• t ,.. ...,_ ... , i : , 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •. -. :AF PELL.ANT • versus r:: 'TH:t itEF4iJB LI c-.· ·•· •· •••• 0 • • • • • • • • · • • •.- ~· • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • ,• ,.•· . , • • • • ·• rl.tl:Sf'ONDENT l ~,:J ;· ':i.d':.•. :: -:~ 1cHARGE:l.Person:0t-inr; a public ser"vJ.nt c/,J 100(2) ·of the. ::'en:il G~µe • .: · 2.0btain·ing mc,ney by f3lse pr,~tencos G/s 302 .:of t.he Feml, Code. LUGAKING.IR.A, ·;r;: -,·. On i-9 ·January 9 1976 1 in the t,y:ms:,.il) of. .Bukoba, the .api;i~.ll3nt repres·entetl to the oomplain:::nt, a 1s'choclb0~r, that he w::is a poli'Ce const;fole investi;_;-'i-~ing a theft. .To ti.K.t and, he order-al :t{l~ ..boy to si.lrreriJ.er any'·inortey :1a J.-i3d. Th·3 boy pro(.uc0d Shs. 200/=.• . He was giv'e·n an envefcrpe in ,•1hich he put the mc,;,e:y c.nd h:1nJed. the ,,envelope ··~- , tb ·the' a'ppel·l':irit. The appelhnt hal· sev:]rd. such ·:env.eLopes.• Af\t;er s6\iie time he preten.J.eJ. to res-tor-e ·the mG.,:.:.;;y e·nvelope ,tQ tlie 9omplainirnt, instruct fog· him to proceed to t!N i~o·l ice St." t ion ··arid .7h3.v 9 · trte envelope Y., ·stamp'3d al.'1 evidence th3.t the mon~y it :'co ..1·G~~ined wgs h·is 'bw.ful ·property. ·When the compbinant 8rrj_v2d 1t t,1e I'Jli·cc St tion :ml .~relat1cd the stdry,· the ·envelope w2s .opencJ ~nd ')n1.;· :)ioc.Js of J:liO'lfS'pap•:irs were found. Tne·complairiant g.3ve -?. descript-ion of ·G;'..J 2i)pe 1 l::1nt· who was ar:re:sted -the' fo1lowing ·c11y at the d.istr ict c-,u.rt. · · .. ·''.11: l• 1~ext ctay the •oQ:ropJ;:i:ta.:::.t• .1-m__? _c;i.iX._;~_:J.') -c:.:si Tplice St.1tion anl ,,t•;i·cre ·· .. •he pointed. Q1.i:t . .i;L/Lappellan~ :11ho ·was sk.·tocl with severa·l o·ther..s;. The appellant ,was: charg~J. with person1tin 6 2 publio .officer- -:1:nd .obtaining· . ,:-; ~· · : -money b;y ;false .pre-tences. He w<is · conv:i.c:00'-l and sen t.cm-cad-t.o concurrent : ·.: term-s ·'of :·one' ·year r:i!1J. t:,r.a,::i yaars impr:'.nrmme:..1t. He '.then· appea l.e:d. ,,.:. i . - · T have no Joabt wh7:i·tsover tlnt •,tl10 ~1::pellant i..bs properly ideptifi~~., ·He app9rently spent 1 consilai2bla time·~it6 tihe·complainant, nearly an hour accord.•in;:; to th0 latt3r 1 "':i1d w2s·still lress·id,;iri the same fashion the d.A.;y the complaimnt f. ,:,..1--. ~.\im in the folice Station • •.J:-:LThe ::appellant raj_sed an alibi. He all...\}:.JJ th:rt on ·r•l8 :trnJ. 19 January, -<he ;-was :in Mwanza seeing a co:1victeJ relr:-bive ·'.lt .Butimb-a • . Th~ s/o' - called relative, Dominic Mwombeki, was c:1lle-.i ·r,s '.! defence witn0ss·;; ·.· :He, denied any relationship with or any knowlodge of the appellant and denied ever seeing him :1t Butimba. I am sa.tisfied and· agree with the trial magistrat8 tnat it is the appel l2:1t wh(' pers•Jnn ted himself to the complainant and ob.t·a· .neJ mo.dey i~ t;.rn process. This appe:il was admitt-e1, ·tc . consi,:.ar, mainly, whether the·' 1 appell.1nt w:1s prop8rly (?har_g;3~ L_,r b•-,ti ~'.';Jl'somtion .~ri4. _o.:.b,t,a;.ning by false pretencr~a. ri'he first count ·,1".s l;-,jd. under s. 100 (2) of the Penal Code, stating th~t the appell:!nt :i.'-:J.s0ly reprcisentcid. himself to be a police consta~le. It sJems to ma 1 first, th3t the particulars · were inadequ3te. UnJ.cr s.100 (2) it is ::.ct oncugh th:1t there be false represent3tions. The accused must als, ·'.Jo e.llaged to hnve assUmed to do any act or to n2ve ~ttended in ~ny pl2ce for the purpose of doing any act by virtue of his purportGLl employment. ln this case, for instance, the particulJrs snouli have ~lleged that the ~ppellant falsely repres,:mted. himself to be 1 police consta 0le 3nd deman,fea money from the cornpla inant purport in& to inv:;T~ i::;c:\te n crime• For the purpose of this appaal I neeJ not consider whether the in3dequncy was injurious to the proceedings. · Sacondly, I agree with i ie le3rn0.~ j2Jge ho ad.mitted the appeal thAt the offence under s.100 msy be c,;n:;:::L;1ud in the offence under s.302 as to make th::i former superfluous. S•Jdion 302 provided that "ilny person who by any f3.lse pretence •••••••• cbtain.s ••.•••• ,.·•• anything capable of being stc-len •••••••••• is ,;ui:·i;y t:f 3. misJeme:.inour·.••·•·••••" It w:rn by r;)as,:m .;f f".lsely rrc:ik,n..l.i 1.; ··;· .,:,, , :;,x:-lic;3 c'-:hst,ble that the ;:i~:pell-::nt succ.:J•.ic:..:.)J. in r~J.i.,vin? -!:; .. , "r..,... 1,:1 ;,,.,,~t .. +' •·-:s ·::-hq,'lf'I()/ - ·-··· .1l·1•1r• -J.f+4,.-,~• .. ~--"•·· ', 2 ·, 1: ·. · -Sihce' ·s. 302 sp0c,ks ~-f sny f3lse pre·t-~':li;::::;, 'it mus·t incluJe the . "p'ers•~;n3ticn of public 0ffic.3rs '1S,' w'e.u·. ,8 c_c-,n therefore Sclfely concluJ.e th3t i-Jh,::n '=-' ::~-~.3·n obt:1ins 1ny·;;:~in0 capr,ble of being stolen through ·tb.-e· ·pers1:,n3tfon of 8. ,:ptJ.b1 i·c· off j_cm', the offence committed is that of c,otqinj_ng 'b;y- f:::lso IJret;ncer:3 ,;;:1J.;y. · Hence; even in the insta!}~ ...Q.$.~1'3:t .1 f~_n; th,,t the fjr13t c~,.rn1~. wrs superfluous. It was already c6ni~i~;J in t~~'si6drti oount- -l~s supQDfl~ity is demonstr~ted .• , . by the fact th,1t 3v·an. the p".rticubrs )f' thJ second coun~ name.d ,,,_,.· the appellant 1 s·fcc.:se pret2hces'':1s hJS :>::1·son-cttj_op of a,pt;Jlice""'' constablee .F·or tnss0 re,rnons, I will ,· i_J,::-i the:1;\ppa;:;,.l. Q~·---thi. first count and. qua sh t11e c,;nvict ion :Jnd sen·.,.j;10G thereon. The seconi cc •.,.n t is I on th-:J othJr >:::nd 7 not free from ,. · , · chff icult ies. 'J!he_ •&.-fi;ue 11~n 'i ·•is 1 er im inr: 1 conj ure,r., ;.,,.,,hi le, :-?-it: is ,· ; ' . :~rue that _he race iV8d the m'JllGY through i' lsG represenYa"tion"~";~"•{t is ',:!3,qually true th:1t he kept it :through ·a t,~:i.ck. In ~ rnbn,9,evtire that ' \ n.ever regist0r,,3J. cin 'tl-1.: compla inc.int' s "':inc:, the appellant returned ."!,ef1n evel,Qp~ stuf.f!;:J(:r with trash ,=inU kept tho rno1,.ey envelope to himself,. <i".J ;I,t· was -t;'t~r:ef,0°:C~ "s0g::£este,l ·fo me that· tho t:,~1peE:rnt should. have been -:..,.:,elilarge\i . .,. . a~:,·:com,·,tcted .... •' . .. /!" ,• . of . ch~ating. un-ler G. 304 of the Panal Cole. rather I', .:.: inf~an. of 09t{fn:1rn{;?: _,by fcdse pretences• I c:)::_:ireoiate the suggestion ,.;.,,v,.gre"tly, but·_·r·m.ti~t confass.th3t the'listinct:i.on bet•,-Jeen. cheating :·?,:and obta in}ri~: by ,false p~etenc-3s h 1S alw:.:ys deluJ.eJ me.~ ·· I c.3n only -· point to the "fact tii~•.t in che:1ting the.".'e must be :1 fraudulent _trick or levice::but,~·:;t:r..E)n 7 the trick ,Jr .ievico, ·oeing fr:iudulent, i~ a ;:,;:";-;·~alse reprs3sentatfrn of soma kind. Tho rirr;blem of att;3mpting to differentiate.the two offences w:is highli __ Jd;Gcl by Mfalib_, jg. J-. _(a~ he th,m, \!>1as) ,. ;in Bl2sius NJ.'3mb9lilo v. ;.tJpL,blic 1 1973 . L _R T n:.85 • . /~~~<with ~h; :tw9;:9_3s )She cited -·Mz::ir:i1i:~clepublic 1969 HCD n·.127 and John Josi.ph v~; rt.epubl ic,' 1969 HC:J n._171· - he J.emonstr:i ted the the absurduty to whj.ch these attempts !'n;::y _lec:.:d. I am therefo.,re inclinec! to the view th,t. 1vh~re, as in .t~1is C'.'is~, :the f·Jcts of'.the ca.~e reveal · ·acombinc1tion of"thG elements found. in ss.302 ond 3"4, thf)::;c<2urt may safely con'.vict on ·:Jhich0v0r is ch3rgeJ.. It. is for this re2son th9t I will not consid.0r 2.ny substit'hteJ. c::nvio'i;j_oh un.ier· .s.187(2A) of the Criminal Proceduro Co ..i.e ,,s su1.t(testel to m0• In summc1ry, this .appea 1 · h.".ls p.Jan 2lJ.ow'ed 0-h the ,first- count'• It is however dismissdd bn the sBc•mJ. · oc-t:i:i-c 2nd the convictioh and sentence thereon are upheld. -11j '- .. MWA_NZ.A. ·,_.,,:-:l11 i : ..'.J . -· ,# ,. ~10/12}11~· .s ... );: I' ,, d;: ': . ( ::: ·: ·:!' 1.J,,,t:·;i'i· t •• :) i? I -JiJ,C .i J: :- _1·:!: "t ·:ii-