Vicent s/o Maregesi vs Republic (High Court Criminal Appeal No. 278 of 1990) [1991] TZHC 2422 (4 September 1991)

/ if

IN THE .. HIGH--CO~T OF TANZANIA AT MWANZA

APPEf,I.A'liE JUqISDICTION . ' HIGH COUT C 1 UMINAT, J.PPEKL NO. 278 OF 1990 (Oiginnl trimial Cns No.40 oi 1990 of the District Cot-t of· 11·:usomJ :Jistrlct ,,t r-:usoma., Bfore N.P •. _z .. _CHOCHA Esq. Resident Magistrte)e VI GENT· S/0 MAJ:?.EGESI • •.•••••••••• • ••• • •• •. APPEf.T,/\NT (Original hccuse1) · ver.sus THE REPUBJ'.IC JUDGMENT KA.JI, -,PRM Ext •. Jut"is. llESPONr>ENT (Original Prosecutor)., The {.1ppellant VICENT MA'1EGESI was charge-:1 with btaining. g.)0ds by· fr:1s2 pretences. c/s 302 PC·., He 1enierf the charge.· However· at. th< 0:11: )f the trial he wcis founi guilty as charge1-. He was c rnvictc.:d ::cc·..)rrHngly.. Ho? was sent":'nCP.1 to 5 y.-,ars impris,.:mrnent. He l odg,,;d this: t1ppeal agai ns,t c .>nvicti0n :1 n1 SPl'l.tP.nce. It was aJlegP by th~ prosacutiJn at- the trial that an 19.6.,90 ;::t . .:o-.;ut 10 a.m •. whilr, _PW. --_;,_Gl),.;st•ll, r,AzA-qO was selling g.)o:1s in her. shcp she was appr:.><'!chei by the appell'3nt Vient :Wh.J w3s ::cc(mpnnicd by anothr man PW1 -kn?.w the appel 1 ant before11 The appell,:rnt sai1 they wi:-•re in nee1 <>f 100 c::>rrugate-i lr•.)n sheet, 10 c;1rb...)t1S 0f scap an.; cookin·g fat if' money coul--1 a]l"Ow. PW1 . arr.c1.pg2d 2.11 this. The appE'llant sair-1 they wer, going to the bank tv. draw the neeriei money. They 1 eft., Aft0.r abut qn hJur th apPP.llant came carrying a han1 bag which w;2s 1.:,cked with a pa-Hock •. He put it ·in PW1's shJp saying it contincd the rE:>quirerl m•)ney l":->XcE-pt that for cooking fat. By thenLggd hied a Lan.; Rover eg. ,No.TZ 30327.belonging to PW.2 SET,!:-!:2£.l!~ which was being iriven by PW.3. MUSTAFA hSHI'O The 100 crrugate,..,, ir:m sheets an1· 10 ca.,....tons of Kwanga soap were 1 )aded L1 th::it motol'.". vehicle. Th"'y wer.e worth 293;000/=. The appE.:11'1.nt thsn tol0 PW1 that he was g::>ing to a nenr.by p8trol station to refu.Gl th2t motor.· vehicle,. He 1:-:ift with the goo ➔ s. I3ut inteal'\ of goir:.g when:i he ha'i tolri PW1 he 1 eft hpar, ing to a -1ifferent ,. i,. . ' iirection. PW1 got WO"."ri'4 ,3 n,, nskP.rl for help to a_pprehen.; the appellc,nt ::nr1. take him back t~ the shop to open the bag ani count the ,money· whether- it was i:--,-J1ly· 293 1 000/= .. - The appella.nt wa.s · apprehended by rw. 4 No. B 9451 D/Cpl. KASS-IM' an-1 · taken baek t9 / l?.W1' s sh-.:;p. When the bag was -openei it was foun1- containing . .

..... , ... ·• : ; /·' 2 ... bundls which 2pparP1 to bP. of 300, 000/=.. However .in ch.t?Clcing . thorn thEiy were foun!"l tu be ::mly 2900/. an.; the rr:>st. plain .papers neatly wrappYi •. The aopellant 1enie1 the bag ,,;mi its contents to he ha"!. pairl cash for .I those goo-is an1 that PWt '11ii not . issue pim with .. a r;:,eeipt to ava'1 e inc '.:>mP tax. He was a,:-,-este1 and charged with obtaining those goo.;s .. by f.alse•·:pretences~ I11 his defence he-.sai1 hf> oai-i harrl ·cash for those goo-is an1 that he WJS not issue1 with a.receipt as PW.t sai~ she wante~ to av~,,e ,;ft.er consitier.ing the prosuti•.)n a·n1 1efence evi1ence the lec:rned trial Magistrat·e as sntisfieti Chat the pro.s.ecution ha; est.:11:>lishGd thf.'- a'lJpellunt 's guilt beyo--i all. c:oi9ut:".S •of 1o,lbt. He •:. : cqnvicton him n1·sentehce1 him to 5 ysrs impisnmet•··He is appuling against conviction ani sentence. In his groun-is of anP?l h-2 repeate-i •rn:.-,re-or-less what he had stated nt the.riar. This 8ppec:1. is· --\e'voi1 of· m,ri ts •. Thre 1s no '1ispUte that the apJ?ell0nt took,tho.s·e goos frJIT) .?W1's sh:>p. This has been established < ' •• by rw1, FW2 rr fW3 a 3cceote~ by the 3rpellant himself. ·-~ .. The ,:mly qut'sti m· i.s wh<:"•th!"r. he obtnin:>4. the samP by false pretencs.· There is .'.tmple evi1ence by PW1 that he li1..!ito PW1 that the bag contained th12 el·evant m·::ine/·,;,~~· that when the bag was ,,pene1 it contaiined bundles which appeare1 o _be of .300,00o/ an1 that when checke1 they were f)und .·to be plain papers wt,th · orti-y · 2900/= genuine mney. · This was purely fa.lsc pre-tence- 0 ·as per s. 301 P.C. His -iefence that he h::.1 p2i1.· .. - . . - '( cash had no me!:'it an1 .. was properly rejP.Cten by the learne1 trial mt'igistrate. Even··_his witness, UW2 1-'.l)AM NGOMEno wh,.Jm he sai-1 witnessei, the payment then 1enicd this saying if the aopel,lat pa11L p('!rhaps he 111 · s.::, after he himse], :f (DW2) ha-1 l P.ft the shn •. ~ His err:ec:il against. c0nvicti.)n hai:; no merit an1· is hereby 1ismiss• i1.s £c:r as sentenc-e is C.Jncerne1 ha4 the aonell-3nt•.'s trick worked' . ., ... · to the qnd he woul~ have reape1 a greqt fortune •. H1wever. the win-i was ·i . . ·.. . . . . ·- ' ~ . :. ag.1inst him. Everyt~:ng was recoverei1.· · He was left empty han1e!'l. H_~ g,,in<:id n:::ithng .. • fr.om his .. crime ai'thugh he 1ii1 not expect the SE'\IDCo It is 3lso rP.Cor~e1 th-:it he is a first •.:>ffen-'ier, a fc1thei; ::>f 3 wh;:;; 211so takes <:3r.e •")f his· ·.)l i p3ren:t.· In vie"" 0f this a sentence of 5 years imrr:tso'nm,,rnt ·. se•2ms- t 1 :i. be cxcessi ve. It is hereby redUC·::.!rl i:o that :)f 3 yt=o. rs;: impris .m:nent. Except £:or van.ail::>n· .of· s-1?.nt.ence-.th"? apl')eal 1s ot}?erwise At Mwanzu, . ' · 4th Soptcmbe_rt 1991. · j. For ,appellant-• absent. . . )Lz: s. N. KAJI EXT. JtnusoICTION 4/9/91 For Republic - Mwambegele State Attorney present. 1ismissed •

~ -~ ~ ' 1 .:f I 'i i i '. i ., ~ ~ • .. l t