David Lambwe v People (Appeal No. 19 of 1987) [1989] ZMSC 142 (17 May 1989)
The court found that the identification of the appellant was corroborated by the fact that he was apprehended carrying an iron bar, making it too much of a coincidence for him to be an innocent passerby. The trial judge's findings were upheld as there was no basis to interfere with the conviction.
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- [1989] ZMSC 142
- Parties
- Appellant: Appellant; Respondent: Republic
- Court
- Supreme Court of Zambia
- Jurisdiction
- Zambia
- Case Number
- Appeal No. 19 of 1987
- Procedural Posture
- Criminal Appeal / Appeal Judgment
- Outcome
- appeal dismissed; conviction upheld
- Legal Topics
- Identification Evidence, Mistaken Identity, Appeal Against Conviction
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Appellant
Appellant
Republic
Respondent
Procedural Posture
Criminal Appeal / Appeal Judgment
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the appellant was properly identified as the person who committed the offence
- 2 Whether the trial judge erred in dismissing the defence of mistaken identity
Ratio Decidendi
The court found that the identification of the appellant was corroborated by the fact that he was apprehended carrying an iron bar, making it too much of a coincidence for him to be an innocent passerby. The trial judge's findings were upheld as there was no basis to interfere with the conviction.
Court Disposition
appeal dismissed; conviction upheld
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
1 paragraphs
I I IN THE SUPREME COURT OF ZAMBIA Appeal No. 19 of 1987 HOLDEN AT LUSAKA .. ,,-;. -. ' .<,: •,.:_: '/ •. :~f,..,:'~i f'.~~J:;b.,_J.~J,;. i<",_~ )I),;.,..,;. •..:,,.';·t'•'·s;•,: •J;l"l~ 1'e•!',\·' /,:,,.,, i:t :~1,~d!1P,.t 11 :~,,.tJ ~:r, ,/;;is tfle tOi:•btr i)\€,)1. ~itW<!; . 0 . :r:enewed their pursuit of the:.,robber, .who,.wc1s tfinally;;apprehended and ,disarmed •.... Accor~i11g ,t9, .the: witnes,s.es,, .. the tP.erson· they ichasedJ was.ttthe , , ·•, appeUant and thjs;1th,e lec1rned .tr~at Judge :a~cepted.:;; H,', ca,\ . · . .. l,, . . ' ' . ,,: . ,,The appella11t/s;defence was that he was innocently walking in the .· · . neighbourhood on his way to a fishing camp .and carrying .his own .. ·. · . ' . ' . ' ' ' ; ' '· . . . ~ . ' ... 1 uggl!ge w~er:i • th.e : gr<;>up r~hi,cll i~a.~ 1cq~a$.tng r.som(lo11e·,s~_wr,,hi,m ,and,i;;qu.e~ti onecl • .him,,c1s ;to .. whether.,Ot\(lOt ,!Je !:!!1. S.19,nej;Of :th,e;"per.sons:~they,;,)'lere;~hasfng.•··: . . The ,app_el lant saicb,t)le witnesse.s. Alicl:_not J>~lJev.eillis./ixplanations '.and·· ~-',~e£au,se.:.they· m_i_5tp9!.<,,h.i!J1 f on~::the: p.erS.0.!1;:'+/1eY ':iw!r.{;ih~~i~g '· .. ,t~~Y,; :1;~0~) . , him. J:g ,the PO 1 ice !lti.o f !J9,rgeA,J1 illll wi.th ,th tsrno{fenc~ i'.'i~ ;I~ hist,Qrci~~d s . , . : , pfu ,appe,aJ, :, h.et 11!1/itr-eP;e.a:teclrJtts..t pJea;· :thil:t .beiwasli:a~;1 inno,cent,·•pass~rby.id . , "!hQ ,i:..315., apprehei:if:legr oµt,;.9f miJt.aken . identity .to,J:le. · b.as.argued:~hat'.:vthe · !"i:t11.es.ses. ,)l'ere,:mt~:ta.~el1;:in:, t!,l.~ nl~J !)QI' :t~atthet~ilS~tlJ~n;rob,beri.\the~~-wer~ ·,, . , . . fhc1sJng. , · He lla5;4Iso,, sub1J1itt~cl5 !1ifgroµnal;of appealc.{oft~e. effec_t~ : .·•·· •·• , tl)at .. , ti)~ : 1 earned1:trial,,;j udge;, ~a~yjll · ~rrom1 r.t1di smiss,{ng!lhis>'!def en~eN: !n.: ii .cay~; i ~r. faf,l),!O!!;,~P.?i arg1J~Jith~ld!!i1f~C}~\h~si!i1J~.s,se,s,:;ni11st' . have. lost sight of the person they were,pursuing and .. 1;hey· got ·.· .. ·· ... · · .. ' hold of the wrong· person, namely, himself •. · · : · ,: < ·. :":.. .·,.·,;,!_,_ .. ,\·.\.',:; __ ~.:,.;,-i\:-\·'.,_,' · :;,,',·.:.'.._'-.' · ·· ' t :_. . · :. • : ' ' . ' '. ' : ; •·: .• ·, ' : ·:·;, .ff:\),,:< ',, ,'-; .... /. ' , I · .. - ·_. - - ·-.,'.' ,)'./ We have contidered the grounds of appeal ,and rnote ·that the:,learned ~iher:6r:·~~t·the .. trial judge had carefully considered'theq~e~ti~~·~h . witnesses had a proper~opporturHt.vi~;~o·tg~niit;:,t6e''~~~efI~n,i:,· ·~~.~' •••• : found that in fact this was a caseLwhere ortiyfpi:j~f't::a[ purpofti.ng '.1;0,: identify the appellant as the·person he chasedth~f~1ght and iiithout. losing sight of him. The witnesses had said the,Y_were:.cha~ing the:. · .. · .. ~es .;;~eh};i~.~~~rt•J_he • lear11~d: i"~ '. • '.'. ~ appeH ant at a. di stance of three met trial judge considered the .fact tha\1JIJ.~j,J?,er.~,Q.,r;l:lt~~Pt,~tp/!S. S ch~sed·;- . ·, was carrying an iron bar whichiwas seen ·'by :ttie various.'' witnes!;esiwho · ' · '-· ~ .. , joined in the chase.· The judge found.that'.it would~:.be·too much'of·a .- -.1°· coincidence that the person· who was·:running·1 away7.armed with :an.iron .. :.,,.,. . bar-should be found wi th·:an · 1 r:,<!.11 ~b.1!,r:. .qrf.~Rllr:.~ti!il),i\ctll~,t.!ll~ ,Ju.clge,,. •fr~~, ··•· therefore, .found that the single id'Q~\tl~~•~<\jWJti~fiS :FtlffiPt;or\~d .·· . • •· by something more.· We agree that it ·would be too much• of a coincidence·· ' -·:. that the person who. was allegedly merely passing bi had an· ir:o~ bar.'., .. in his hand. To accept the appeilant's contention:~ould be to ac:cept' . .,•-·:,i· .... ' -,,,.,·:i·(,,,.f::,,;,-_1•"':"' .. ,•:,I•.~·.'.:-:n·· .,.,;;;.·;i,; ... ",.:--.-;:-:·;;:,- .:'·,, ·"'·:·;~·:1·~.::,,·,.';1\ · _ _,, . - \. --~• . .1_,r-'•''.· ,:-. ,.: .. ,,•,c:J:r'.h~·,'1>'">'.~;.a,, ·:·-:·. ·, ',.·,,,;.~ ' ,~ ',. ' ' ' ·, · .'':,•-;;•-"~.''''. '.·_I.'.,•_,,.'.•-'- '.'' ',,;'- ',-~· ,, .. ,._,,;~, ••• :''•'. ·•' ','(!''' • •:-·:·; .. - , , ' .• ,; •• _. "•'• . ' . ,,_/.·.-. . . . ,;-_ ·_.· '".· !'lo" -. . .,- ,.,.. '·· ·:· ' ' ' , ' " .. .- ·· . ,' · ·:- •.- • ' ' ' I -- .;, , , . ' '. ' ' ' ' ' ' ' - - ' .. : . .. . · 2/ . ...• '. ... that . . that all these witnes.ses ma.de up the story that when he was app.r,ehended the appellant was carrying an iron bar and nothing else. At the end of the day, there are n_~ g,rounds upon which,4~~.s~~!lnt \,,,··:•o::,;,. J ~ .. •itli: .._, - in.terfere with the decision'·in''th'i's'. case. The appeal against • . conviction is dismissed.· ,-' \.; , . . , _ • . Q i.