John Asumile vs Republic (Criminal Appeal No. 240 of 1977) [1978] TZHC 180 (10 April 1978)

llf THE HIGH COURT OF TAN.ZANIA /fie,., lft?li,,- ,r#P 7 · AT :90DOMA APPELLATE JURISD~CTION CRIMIN AL l.PPTIAL NO. 240 OF 1 '9T7 (ORIGINAL CRIN:JJAL CASE NO. 801 OF 1976 JOHN ASUMILE ••••••••• ••• ~ •• .- •••••• 1.\ .. ppell·-:11t (Oricin7.l Accused) versus THE REPUBLIC .......... _ ••••••••••••• Respond.-J:i:i.t · · · (Ori,·--:innl Prosvcutor) JUDGNENT A now lorry tyro 1,ppo:;.rs to h 0 ,vo bcon stolon fron tho prenisos of tho Vh.tor Dop-rt•,ont 9 Dodon.-:.. It w·s tho spnro_ tyre of s. lorry of which PW. 4 SHIMYA W"':.S tho (1ri vc-r. According to PW. 1 GIDEON 9 n. d,0,,y or two 1 .tor in the corn.inc the :J.ppollant '1.S bis friend "..}rro,.,_chod hin. :7.t his pl ...,_co of work, tho Rn.ilw,-,,y Hotel, :1.sking for tho koy to his ro.x1 so tht ho could ontortain '.1 girl fri~~d thc:ro. Ho f'/',vo hir.1 the koy. P.W.2, MERINA tho sist8r of P.W.1 W':.S St':.yinr with hio 7.S his rp.1cst n.t the Rnilwn.y Qur1rtors d on th:.:; ovonjng of th:.t clny, she S'1id 1 tho nppellnnt c'.".ne to tho h6usu riding a bicyclo '1nd cnrryin 0 n friend Gt tho b:.ck n.nd shortly thorosftor sonoone, tho second n.ccusod in this cso, rrived thoro pushing a cart. Tho nppollnnt thon oponod hor brother's roon using the koy nnd ho :md his cori.pr.mion took out n lorry tyro nnd put it on tho crt. Tho nppell2nt thon rode off carrying his friend on tho bicycle while the other nan followed sor:10 dist"'..nce behind pushinc; tho c ,rt. PW. 3 MLYCA ca. neighbour of P.W. 1 hud been observing rrll this and s the three people wore going o,w;-,y p:1st hi::1 ho c.sked to know the source of tho tyre. That got hir:i onlyLrcbuke fro □ thor:i. La Ho would not lot the;n r3:ot '"..W1,y with it so ho wont· 1 ,hc 0 :.d of the socond '1Ccusecl ridinr:; :", bicycle .... ,r.d tolophonu:l t'1c police and, while awr>..itin,s thc:,ir r:.rriv1,l 9 he st0ppod hi 1. The wi tnoss duly hrmdod ov ,r the c :.rt with the; tyro on board to the police. Tho second ,"'.ccus Gd in tJ-i.o ;-w0,nt j;1c ·- had left to look for tho r\ppcll·mt 9 but on thC; next l :y ho raportod at the police str:,t ion tg;:;.rcntly f ,')r his c.--:rt 1 whereupon ho 1ed the police to the n.rrest of he ppllr-:nt. The ty:ro turned out to be tho stolen tyre of the v.,tc;r Do1·y-,,rt· 1...:.:1·it. The second accused in his defonco srdd ho <:.nd his C",rt hn.d bcrnn hired by the nppoll:1nt 0.-nd :1.Dnthor p ... ,rson to c·--,rry sone lugg:1go frors the Rr.i,ilw1.y Qun.rtcrs. Ho ;',,gro(Jd r:,nrl toec thor they procccdod to tlv1.t pl1,co, tho ttccusod duly pushin,r, his cart. Thero, h0 sn,id, tho ·:.ppoll--,,nt usinc r:, koy opened,, door and coxw out of tho ronn pus!.1.ing <:t tyro which ho r>.rid. the othor porson put 0n thG c"':.rt. He pushed tho c,rt hc:-:.ding for tho pl:-i.,ce ho WG,s r>,skocl to tr:.ko it :\ncl noot then whilo they rode off n.ho-".d of hi::-1. Ho hc 0 '..rd PW. 3 spank to then but ho doos not nppo':.r to hvo ho ·'..rd the discussion •. Ho w:.s lntGr stopped by PW.3 when ho offorod to look for his hirers. This w:' s supported by his wi tnoss DW. 2 who sn.id ho ws.s present when tho !-:1.ppollrmt n.nd n.nothor hired hin. The r-..ppellt's defence in 3ll unsworn ste1tor:1ont wn.s tho.tho hnd c:J.llecl at tho n.pnrtnont of PW.1 to pick his luggage 8-ncl tht ho hnd found hin present. While thore, thore en.mo two people on o. bicycle followed by nnothcr p. rson pushing a cnrt •. . -• ./2

• 2 - The two people then opened PW .1 's ro,10 :::.nd took out tho L-· exhibit tyro. He bcc~~-,o -=~ little curious but his suspiQ-i•on wo.s o.118.yod upon PW .1 replying to hir.1 t.hc tyre boloneoa. to then. He was sgying 9 in eff0ct 9 th·--.t he 1 rd h'lr-1 n0thin;:; to co with tho;. tyre. Tho ncqui tt2.l of thG s0cond. ''.ccusod on tho forogoinc ff'.cts wc-.s clcJ'-\rly deserved. I '"nvo no doubt oi thcr t'i.-·,t, on tho oviclencc tho conviction of the ;:ppell·:.nt w:.s incvi-- tr..blo. Tho evidence of PW .1 w-:s to be rc,ceivGC1 with c "':.ution as woll as that of PW. 2 his sister, if only bcc,'1.usc ,)n ·ci.-.e f:-:.cc of it he wn.c rulswor::'..blo for t10 prosc,-nco of th.o stclon tyro in his roo □• Their ovic1enc0 w-s however Holl corrobo- r2.tod by thn.t of PW. 3 who hn.d no c n.uso to f",lse:ly i-•12,,lic--.to tho :::1.ppoll'Jnt nnd -'.1lso th'.:'. t of tho :second n.ccusod. On such evidence, I r.s sntisficd. he w2"s properly found. conncctcc1.. with the thofto He however sc;,ns to ;;rcuo his w:.:1y out ,y.::,_ two fronts. Firstly, ho sco:·1s to sutcost th:-,_t Pl:l.1 h-'.l k:n.ow- lodgc of thnt tyro boinc; in his roon. This wr.:uld not, lv:iwovor, displr:tcc tho f.,_ct th·1t ho t00k th:--.t tyro out 0f tho r00:-:i. and hnded it to tho second '2.ccuso<l. Tho otl18r front of his attck on tho lower court's juc 1 .gncnt cloos, on the 0V.·cr h 0 .11d, a.pr,o,r,r to h:1,vo sone vlidi ty. PW. 4 tho dri vor of the lorry h::-:,s not sid where the lorry W''-S p.'l.rkccl when tho tyro vr.s ronoved. As it w:::.s however otherwise sur.r·ostoc-1 t11~~t it W",S tn the :prcoisos, of tho !!,..,_tor Dcp 0 .rt:.ont, tho l:)pollr-,nt c':.llec.:. D. W. 1 ,:--, W"-tchmm of th···.t do1:ertncnt to c1oposo th;'.t nothin e;ets out rr:.st the f,-'1.to i·li th011.t thuro bein[; n. efl to pass, whilo 2..11 vehicles loc.ving th0 pr0--ds0s nro chocked t tho etc to sco *h2.t is on boo.rd. Now, tho nppolli1t w::.s not ru1 onJ1 loyoo of t 1 ::r', t · dep::.rtr.10nt rmd th,:re could bo no cert2..inty thr'.t he w.""..s hinsolf the thief, notwi thstrmding tho ehort period botwoon the theft nnd. tho discovery of thr".t tyre in tho ::>.ppoll'.ID t' s possession. Accordi;ngly ,, he should be given tho bcm.cfi t of doubt th2.t ho n.c'..y not hinself h::.ve stolen it .:nd. th'l.t ho only received it. 1111 indico.- tions o.ro however th"..t, whon he rocoivc(1 it he lmow it b".c:: been stolen. Firstly, he told PW .1 ri. lio th-... t he: wn tod t'.10 key to entcrt2in n girlfriend in his ro0n. Socon:ly, if ho lmo or believed the tyre h-1.d n0t been st 0 -len thGro would l.P.vo b0cn no C8.use to lock it. in t}r .. t rorn:.1. Thirdly 9 :<:'..ccordin:: to PW.2, in response to her exprosso:l. surl)risc tlr,t the c;irl friend he had told P. W .1 abll.t W:.'..S only :->.. tyro, tho '.1.l)poll':'.nt rcplic.:d to the effect thn.t she w,1,s not to cwk hin y ,:.10ro quos :;icn. Ho nppo:->,rs to h7.ve nn'-10 n si::ilr,r reply to PW. 3. Finn.lly, upon the second accused fnilint: to deliver the tyre ,rs instructed ho did not follow it up, which is obviously inconsistci1t with ony clain th:J.t whon ho received it he !1;1,d no lmowlcclr-:c or :co,son to believe it hc1..d boon stolen. ,Accordil1cly, ho w7,s :::. e;uilty receiver. In tho result, the uonviction of theft is sot :.sj__do ;1,nd there is substituted a conviction of receiving stolen property c/ s 311 ( 1 ) of the Pen.'.ll Code. This, liko tho off Cl"lco of st er.ling in th?so circunsta.nccs, '.:.ttr:.cts tho :--i:in.inun so:n- 1 ~ once, 1;;,i-,ich w·· s -· duly 1nposod, c..nd, . n.ccordinc;ly, tho sontonc o will st '"'..y und:tsturbod. S"lve ns just indiC{'.. tod thon, tho :-i.pp02l is d.is~1issod. Delivered in open ccurt this 10th dny of April, 1978. 7£t,V:f\ P. M • JON ATH.Af.T JUDGE