Wilhem Mwashambwa vs Republic (HC Criminal Appeal No. 17 of 1990) [1990] TZHC 314 (14 November 1990)

.... .. J THE ~~c ~~ IN THE ·HIGH ·cmmT _OF T.:Nz.:.i'IT .. ~ l2:?BLL:.TE JURISDICTION (Nbcyc Re.gistry) I-II.GH COT CRn!.ntlL ..:L'PEAL NO~ .17 OF 1990 ( ORIGIN.L CRH'.'.IN. .1 C.'iSE i'I0.126 OF 1989 OF THE DISTRICT COURT OF 1'.:r.BOZI DIST1ICT ;lT vw:'.W,.- Bofore: q. J. Kaaasso 9 District -be:ist'i<Jte) . . . . . . ... , '--vorsus ... ,. I . ·stmmITENT Two: ;iors·:ms. n8moly Eliud. N_jowcla and· WilhoL1 r:'Iwashar::i.bv,ia were . ,•I . . . . .. charged in -tho District Court of !iibozi -with throe c. .Junts as -fj'llows: .. -{1) .Robbery with violence ots 285 and.286 of the Fonnl Coda. ··- ; _(2)-'·stoc:ling c/s ··265 of tho Panell Codo. (3) Ra:Jo c/s 130 and 131 of tho ?onal_ Qo(].o ,, .. _;\ftor a full tri::11 the lonrnod tri1l mci::i;istr2.to c::mvicted tho socond ., . ,•. t ' accused in tho· first ·.Grid third C'.)unts and sontonced him to 15 yer.rs impris::mn_ent in tho f irst--·c·ount and .5 years in tho thir·d count ,.;. ,· sentences·. poing -Ordered< t.:)- run c_oncurrently., It wo.s further ordered . ; . ' that the so cond ,aCC"t?-:,SOd should :.:1/ c:;mponsotiqn of ,sp.s •. 28 p 550/= :. \ ..... -. ' .. . .... ; ... to the complRinonts., The a))cllant· is aesericvcd by tho convictiono 1\s 1ro:Jcrly submi ttod by Mr. Botoyungn lernod· counsel for tho appeilant th whole case revolves m_..tho issuo ·of.idcntifics.tLm._ Indeed the first 3ccu8:od _was c.cquttcd· bocnus,o :the trial r.1agistrcte was nq_t. sntisfiod that ho h2d boon pro~Jorly i 1 J..o-ri.t·i{ied• What wore the facts ofrtho coso? ;,. •.. /2

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. 2 Briefly the ce>I'.1 1 )'iainan:ts · iii'- thi.:s case .. J.nanin Du.le nnd .;brahaL1 ,. •' :_: " Du.lo, who arc brothers as thC3'i.rLs~~ry;mws sugcost 9 com-.ilaincd that,..,. I in tl:ie night of 7/8/89 thb·1-i:-·,'.'fi:o·u.so s ::hnd been br:)kcn into 1 by bnnd1. ts ·~ ·.·/}' ·. t·. : L.. -1-- • • • t : • • _ • .- ... ~ who assaultocl.': .. tl'iem,··st9l~, prop9.rtics an·d ra:i_JGd the wife of ..:\brnham . . i..,.. ,· ... Dulc one Quc',;n Njqwelo (:2W3 )-o ... Tle com:i-.ii1inaritif cl-air.1 that the .•.· , I '"1• ,.,. ·-·· .. . '" a:;:-ipe llnnt WS one . of tho .bg;ndi tso i - • ...; • The tssue· .. isf y,;a_s the a3:i.:icliant prjperly i:lcntificd? r'.Vl. ::•J".' . '' ... . .· ... .t.:.:.. . . :•.• .. . .. . lm.nna ·Dula. cle:1os0d that nftor' the 'bimdfts 1 , br.oko- into his house they . : . • . _.,, ; . . . . . ' ! ... . . t - ' ••• ~ .. \ ', . • hit him with.a.'club, bod-sheets and . t !'- ' t:.i.e:q :P ;his hands by usin[-!, dow:mdod for 1:10ney. t •· •..•.. -· ,• , -; .. ,' :- f " .. ·- They t.Jolc. ?ame pro 1 1ortios ::md dmortdcd to be .·., ; shown the l1ousc of .,\braha~,. Dul~~- . 11!1n1a Dula c:' .. id. not tell tho .. '\ ·- court whether there wc.s any.,..,light in his house but ·a.cscribed, the condition outside as having hoci' ·a· li ttlc l'J.oon - lighto He wont on to say thGt on reaching _the house of his brother tho ,d:ur was . . . . f orc·'d ·opcri by= kiq•lr_in~ a!}?. t1?,q_t the so cond accusGd · : . ' . . . .., '• ·-. : . - .-. ·.:· :. ,: : ,' : . ·. . . enter and lie. downo ::Jn j;h'? ,h_0use he asserted "th,=.it -· .. .: ·- ,., . ·. . · .. orai:rrc d -him· to there• was total . .. . . . . . ·,·. •. darkness •; Ho :final1y sta.tod th2.t ho. knovv t110·'.Xr::::}JOll:J,inl-,h·fore that .. \ ··. . . .\ \ : ... ; day and that on that day the nppellant had.' -'b6en WOc:!t'in,g, a milli tia · t• :. r \ • ' · Tho·· oviclonco_ of PW2. ;;prohrn:1 Dulie w2.s clif:fcrmit fr.Jm that of Firstly :?:V2 ass·crtcd thst the night ·was . . ·- ... tJtoi1y:'d2.rlr. · S.ec:)ndly ho assorted that 11I·· wifq Qqoon NjVl(oln (?W3) w:1s''·ra:;Jod:'..il1:.' th.13, ll:)USG. a_n.l the,t thcr6 W3S: t lni:) .:i:mrnin.go . On the . ' --~ •· .:, i- . : .,:·q;oti:m ·of r3·:10 :?Wl dt_d not d.oo~~ having seen i t::d;)nG in his . . ,. ' ·- presence· but n:arely. saf\l that Queen Nj6vvola 1ivcs :takDn JUtsido tho house. : ··.r .·' · .. 1\cco_rdi:t:- 6 to ?Wl the·' a:i:1pcllafrt' d'id ·ho~ go t.S the place Que on N.j.owola was talrn'n to , ra·pd ·bU:t Queen .. (?W3) in b,or evidence ... :r· cot:rad,ict,ocl i#ri!. by ~~ying that" shci was -~firs_t '.rCj)_Od, ir:t. tho houso . ~·. ~ ~. by tho a_i'"llJGllnnt ahd then·:·at· the- ,.s·jot ·,•sh0 wc,s· -ta1ccn to tho ap:;_Jellant J. ' ' .·" ,.,, } -. ·-.·'· was ~.p.ere r.nd raped her again ~)lus 'five other. bandits • . . . ' . . . . . -:· .. ~~. . .

, .... 3 Reg8rdiG tho dressthe a~~0ll3nt was nllecod tJ h3VG bean ' 1 )Utting on th2it ni 0 ht 1whoreas ?Wl maintained that ho had ::;iut on niili tia unif 0r;:1 1 Queen (PW3) 2.sscrted in ::111 seri Jusne ss that ho had bean wearing ordinary clothes which she even pointed out at the court during the tri2.lo In view of the cJntrnditiJns on the ststo Jf light thnt fateful niiht· it cannot be asserte_d with an.y corti tudo that there was light sufficient to identify the bandits., I.inother .::is:;;ect of the case whi:ch gives rise to doubts is the cor-1plete absence of evidence ::m whether the C'.)inplainants were able to name their assaillants to those who c::ir:1e to their assistance that night., Simon Wsongole (PW4) was one of such i:JOrsons but he does not refer to .:my no.mos h:Ning been acntioncd by the con:J13inontso It is noted further thc:t whereas the COli1Jloinants assert ' . that there were two robberies c-::n:i1r.1i tted thDt nicht only one count was p::rcferrecl- c.nd whe:r:-ons in the robbery ck::rge i.t is alleged that the compl:::1inr.1nt lil13nia Dula hcd been strangulated and suffered severe 1 Jain in his neck in evidence he said th.:1t ho had been bit with a club 2nd. r:mkos no rcfcr0nce to stransul2ti:Jno In viow. of the contr.adictions in the prosecution cnso it was doubtful whether· tho com 1 Jl2innnts had been ablo to_ identify their assnillants 8nd the cnsc cannot be said to h2,ve been pro·ved beyond eas:Jnable Ei0uht. The alibi raised by the a 1 Ji-:iollant could th_0rofore havo. raised n reasonable doubt about his gult~ The coml1lainants nmy very well hrwo i:iade on. honest but r.:i.istaken idcnti:ficGtion of tho £Qpellanto For tho above ·reasons the n1peal is allowodo The apvellant to . , bo set free forthwith ·unless ho is otherwise legnly detainedn · ;1 t ._ . -'---· the )rcscnco of Llrsfl appellante Lo f: li., CHUii JUDGE L:r-:ImJ: f_or, the RoJublic /ln 1 • ... ~ - L. J'. R., CHU; JUDGE 14/11/90