Joesph Masaiti Chilanda and Anor v People (Appeal Nos. 107 & 106 of 1987) [1989] ZMSC 141 (12 October 1989)
The court found insufficient evidence that the weapon used was a firearm and that the identification evidence for the second appellant was not reliable enough for aggravated robbery. The first appellant was found guilty of receiving stolen property based on possession of items recently stolen. The second appellant's...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- [1989] ZMSC 141
- Parties
- Appellant: Joseph Masaiti Chilanda; Appellant: Christopher Mwansa Oldfield; Respondent: The People
- Court
- Supreme Court of Zambia
- Jurisdiction
- Zambia
- Case Number
- Appeal Nos. 107 & 106 of 1987
- Procedural Posture
- Criminal Appeal / Judgment
- Outcome
- appeal allowed in part
- Legal Topics
- Armed Robbery, Receiving Stolen Property, Identification Evidence, Sentencing
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Joseph Masaiti Chilanda
Appellant
Christopher Mwansa Oldfield
Appellant
The People
Respondent
Procedural Posture
Criminal Appeal / Judgment
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the appellants were properly convicted of aggravated robbery
- 2 Whether the evidence of identification was sufficient
- 3 Whether the first appellant was guilty of receiving stolen property
Ratio Decidendi
The court found insufficient evidence that the weapon used was a firearm and that the identification evidence for the second appellant was not reliable enough for aggravated robbery. The first appellant was found guilty of receiving stolen property based on possession of items recently stolen. The second appellant's conviction for aggravated robbery was upheld based on corroborated identification evidence.
Court Disposition
appeal allowed in part
Orders
- Convictions for aggravated robbery quashed for both appellants
- First appellant convicted of receiving stolen property and sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour, consecutive to any current sentence
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
1 paragraphs
0v O· , __ r . ;.,n·:·-·.• ~ .~vlrln.~·: .... ?a w.-_i!~·-f1fYt ·~tFl~·.r:ri ts ·'to h!i· :. ,,.::· .. :, t}1 ... ~f: ~.-~., , ' ' NJpe!Jants ' ··. JOSEPH MASAITI CHILANDA ' , ' ,' CHRISTOPHER :MWANSA'' OLDFIELD" (','fl. rtEill(;k. n:,,,r•i'.'&."' '' ,.,:,, t', .. :J s;•;:,l,,·ncily::,s,Uested !t:~rilf in thaf&.i:t:~ff ,,· . ,. ,, ' ~' •lhl-:/'''''•· ::" '' ' •i' 1,1,n. ·,:,,;;;1,:Jc,,, ,HTH£i'PEOPLEJ0 _i.c;e 0,1,C"11 rc~))!lfResp(ltldent··. ·. Ngulube, D. C~J./'i'Gardn~r; 1\j.s~';' a'ri<J11:Bw~upe';''Ag-:'J:s:n,hc.:l l'' ~ .. ,. ,. ' ' ,, CORAM: · • ·· ', ... , ... ,,, ·12ih 0ctobfir:"19aa' 0 ''•: ,.,, N. S. Simango, ·Legal· Aid Counsel; for''the1 appellants111'· t,i th F . N.· Mwifnga. · Director of Public Prosecutions, for the arespondent '".·. ;1 !•_.'.• 1'!-i ~;\.'(.t,,'.~,<1\I.,.".,;; ;:,J J,c·«U,1,::! lh•u,;G~;:i"tM.,~i;ilhar N~spite Mr~ fihr,c,,rigois' · ! t· ,,,, i.,,lAW J"""'~"'""'"' H . .,.,.- . .,-,~1-·•"'~.,, i;tnft,r;iry.. : · . . : ,..,,.y (ll.~ · ,· , .. ;.• · · .: , .. ·:' ,· -: ,~ Gardner, J. S. delivered the jud~t of the court. ~,,,, :,. --,·,Nf IJH'l'r.tor of f'voHr. ·Pt'l,~cutlons has ,Wll'Y · ', · :•"rh.~ .. aP,~.1~,r~f,.~er~,.~oA~15f,~~ ~t1-a~~/)9~g~a~e~!~,:r9~Rery;. th~ _par~icuiars. of-~~~- ~ff~~~ef~~i~p~,tnaFo~H~f :, R~tSn!vS~n9fl~ day __ of_ ~ct~ber, .1.9~~,at, t~s~,~~ ~~iist,ifSt!,~qpii~e1oe~;1~9di.,~~!,ng ' arnted ~it~. a f!rea~m ,~id ~te,.h~ \~9~Hr,:~-~~t9i~,{~9/n:N~,d~~~ 0. L. Yn.11,u, and at the time of such stealing did use actual vfolenc,e. ' . ' ' ' ' . ·. '•. ··:,,. Thf!!,. f ac.~s :?t lt~-~ ,,ci~~ l~~, ,,t~}~l,iJtq, iPqTP,At!n,,Q,~ i~ll.~ ~,rlrt~}ld ,, were _held up In t,h7:i.r,,mo~qf,,P~r ~Y. ... tl'{ql~~nf~~Pl~~lnta~~'~ed them ' with'~' ff rear~J~~-r~t9J~. {l,9~,;t~,t~Jn,. iot9Friv,l't.1cn for r<J.::eh•ing • Th~' prq~~S~1HP?, ,,~,V ~1,nn~, \~, \~l~H1~1rPiot'l~1:P~nr,~ c~J. OIJ,1!f~~. ' ', ' to , t~~" e~f~qt ,th~\ ~.fl~n !~~~ 1',<Ib~err t\~,~ ~~cqr.<t ~R~E!},l~,nt.;!!f,1;~~!!h · on~ ~~u~ t~ok th~ '~~ol.~[1 x~Jii<;}~1 \R,.l~r},,WR,1q_l~~~ jh.im ~9wtin1,J<!il1 a ,~~e~. f~r),t_.,,,,,P~i 3r ,~fd,:~(J.~ ... ~JWi'n8lt'im~'b·iid~r,. K~fJA~1:f::PP and · pa~a,de, -~~s, ,~?,~di f~,t. ~~l,c~l r(~f ,p[~~?fUJifJ>Jl:~-~ll~~~;)tfW.·Je.,W~~,U,l\~~Jp,, to ~ e,ntt,f.r,_ a~.y of. t~~ f~,sP:f,\t,in 1P,1ar,~~e 0~4t,;;!lt l~iYl t9,;;.1~,~.r:i,H,fY • .. a_ 1~!'1,~~r . J~C.k~_t.,i:tni,9~ P,e. [!:~9~Af ~~~i'<,sr n,~Mgt)~,~qi!f~r11rbti,9"~;r:;(4- of the assailants. PW.2 was able to identify, the second appellant. When the first appelalnt was arrested he was found to be wearing a pair of., shoes which were'lident1fied;by,;PW!2tas'ihaving1been\vnli stolen frgm him at·theo.time•of;;tha•1robbery.convictions quashed •. , n,,, sr,ni0nc,f, s~it "~ld"', , •••• ~r,~,-~f~~ngo\ or1 ~~~aJt0Bf 1t~! ,!PP,,~. U4.~~fona~,a~rg!;f~8i f~~t ,toiNI ln th~fr- placa., we subst,H:ute in the,., ,1 d,E1f!ti f,1 c.a~i on,' o.f, -~.he,.~on(J'. eRP9.,1: If!;!! --~afo u9~~}!,;t,~~1:orrti; in that at the time of the robbery PW.2 did not have an adequate -.,' , ' , •; C • < I ' ••• /J2-oppi>rturitty • - . i ' ' ·; .. ,.,, • , ·l 11 " ' 'I ,_ . •, ,-. " . " V•a.l . • ~ ~ "' .; .. • • ~ ·a -. I> -, ,, ,, ., ,. .• _., r•>:1C•ll'f'' ~) .. ,,.. ' 'I! l'j!<>'!: ·)"~•r,,•,: ... l.11 ~~ In any event, if his evidence ne!lded opportunity to observe ,th11t app_eUa1:rt;. hsln.,f,ac:t,.,t~at '. Pl19~~~,4t1on .. '. witness was cross-examined in some. detiii.l::an<! Jt tis, qui t.e tC.l~Af from the record, and this was accepte~_,bY. Jhe)~.a.rni4-,~1'..il!l,)riitit1•• •· commissioner, .that his evidence_J'I/S!i 111~.t ,.shak_en.1~t1..t,P.,:h.l.s \!J,35. · · ,, opportunity to observe. corroboration, that evidence manifested itself in the fact that- • · at the identification parade the police officer responsible for conducting the parade said that the lumber jacket recognl.sed . by PW.1 was seen to have been given by the second Appellant · · to his younger brother who was standlng.tontthe line in the. ': . .. . ,. ·. ' , ' .•,.· ;,:,,C'•· ~.-l•i .... · : : ;X_\ :\\i'":tf.l1~1/tirw:i~~/i}:: same parade• . - . · . ,.): ·.· .. ;·:\~-\::,'.{_:):;;/\1~(?}1:iI~fl.fI{\f. . In our view the evidence as to this )acket was properlt'.t1'.t}(;::\)._i,>, . , .; :"j;"'.\;:/;,f( •·· · ?lWtit:f1tii· ~tiunr_ ~1uo:~~ ,: _1'.• __ ·,:)/1·.:·::'/'.,!J.\~j;}'.:}~f:t}ii~~:':;li' The learned Diuector of Publ le Prosecutions· h_as rerr;<'j;j:'. J~:}N:i\{;i/',· properly indicated that h.e does not support a convictio,:i c':/::';i(IY. , ·· of either of the appellants for armed robbery because ther!!..'.,:,).\ · · . " :··.:, --~/~. '.. was no evidence that the gun they were ,alleged ·.to .have Used>.;,;· > . '··. ' was a firearm within the defini}l~qif?~~-'fn~a t~iu!~e.tJr.~,arm!.; ;, > :: r;/11.i/\{[i\l'tI/;;;il Mr. Mwllnga has also very properly indicated that·t,e.goef::.::•:. ;' · · · · · , ,:, . , accepted by the learned trial conmlssloner despite Mr. Slmango_•sc:}: arguments to the contrary. · · · · not support the conviction of the first appellant for. aggravated robbery but would support a conviction for receJyjng.. \/ -.... .'.-- --,-.,·_: :--:(>:·~\t:~r/:/)_\,'._( Mr. Simango has argued in relation to the pail''of shoes:·•'J;'·;,,>:'i., B .. L Zlrt1n1.w . . . . . . fl.,,.,"~ K.*.'?."1\1/jl.,'l:,j', • <•1 . . '. ; . ... . · Act. . . . . .. -_: :·._::j'.'· :'>.- V _ 1•,,.-1.,...~•':'l~ :,-.;-::;' -::··,! '•'', . ··. . . ' >- ":• •t 1t .. ,0 .. -, ~ . . . . . . • - -·:-:. \ . . . . , . . ; · ." . .' ••;•: : , · . ,-:, • • '. • . . · ' ' , /, found on the 1st appell_~t at the time_cif his arrest; tttat.ttt,\;::: · id_ent1flcat1on thereof by PW.2 was unsatisfactory~ ·· Here ~g~{n'.< , we have considered the cross-examination of that witness· and '7,!z .... ·. it is clear that alth_ough he was cross-examined very skilfully: ·. :: an.d in depth he was not shaken in his evidence that the shoes'-' .. : · · did in fact belong to him and were stolen from him at the time··. · '.',' ... ,'·•,','\'"/;') ,c,;,,:- ,' -~- ;,', ... )_ • _·, • ! • I . ', . , ' - - • i • • for aggravated robbery are allowed, the convictions quashed~ The sentences set aside. respect of the first appellant a conviction for receiving 's1:olen : property and sentence him to three years in prisonment wi,th · .... In their place we substitute in ••• /J3hard,. ' O,u - J3 •·.;t ·:., ,,,.,- .,.,,, .• " " --,;,?Jr, ,f;··.:. J.~-r't _)-·if(! ,.,. ·•••••-•w;.. ,- ••••·,-.-r,,. ,, .,. , ,,,, hard labour COflsecutive to any sentence he may now be serving.· In respect of.,the secoryd appellant we subsit!tute a conviction' for aggravated robbery and sentence him to fifteen years'iilprison ment with hard labour with, eff,ect fromrthe 11th August, :,19ss;rt,;1t1: . Uf>, \ 1-:~,\lLk $.''.~~ht!:~:1 (ti p.::rf~ iE ,· -·· ,., -:,1/,:~-,. , · · ,,,v,-.,,.,,,1,, ;,.,.,,. tt11·ff•.a,t'·r· ---•M·• f~+' ''l.i.:-;.;;,.,..,.':'(....,,,.j. ~,•.,•-'='"'••• ........ ,...,_ • ._. __ .,,..-. .,. .... . . _ . . , . . ._~~ · ·- _·, -HI\J_O .~-"'"' . ' . t_'-> -.-: _1,,li . . . '··: :. - ., .• .'· F~:~;;t -~~, i~ ;:· h~'l-cyJ1~--ii •. -Fifa .. ~-t-1t-'~~~1;rp:t:; .1-1-,··~~:. "" l~Wl : , ·.~td'\,~1;.; .. :,.-r>.- .•••• }.':·:!~2 !-~t}Y}!:r".· •• i.~\j5t .. '~}}{:\&\)'.'(:\ t·:>:,•_i:,.:_· ) RE~~TX,,,~H,}E~,,JU_S~~9. 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