Samweli Chacha vs The United Republic (High Court Criminal Appeal No. 8 of 1988) [1988] TZHC 481 (5 August 1988)

'.>)t io~~~ e\16fJijee- itt ij\ ~~~~~-ttm IN Tllli HIGH COURT OF T.t.JilZJI .. KIA AT~ APPELL.ATE JURISDICTION lliGh COURT Cl1IMJHA.L il.}.::G.i:.L KO. 8 OF 1988 ORIGINAL CRIEilU..L Cf:..SD :FO. 104 OF 1987 OF TEE DISTRICT COURT OF ITA1'1J)EFiI DISTRICT AT HANDEi.'II DEFORE J oK.B. IviFUK09 EBQ .. PRDWIPAL DISTRICT lVIAGISTRATE SAMHELI CTIACHA ••••••••••oooooooooo•ooo•oooooAPPELIJU:rT (Original Accus0d) Versus THE UNITED REPUBLIC ••••••••••o••••••••••••••RESF01'DJi!T (Original Prosecutor) JUDGEM;;.;NT SISYA 1 Jg The app0llant appeared in tho District Court at Hancleni and plead.eel r.ot guilty to a sin5lo count charging tho- offence of Doing grievous mrm contrar, to soct:i.on 225 of t_hc Poml CoclG. Ho was, after 2. full trial 9 fou,--id em.lty and cotwicted. as ch£1.r- god, anc:.. he w2,s scntencecl b;y- tl:.0 loc:,rnoc. Princ;j.pal District Magistrate to [sO to prison for t'.2r00 years. 53 was also ord.01:ed to pay Sh. 3,0oO/= as cor::pons2,tio11, preSUI:iably for pain and suffering, to the oomplainc:-nt. .li.5.3Tiovocl, ht ks now appealed · to tl.is Cot:rt. The ovidcnco implicating ·c::..c c,ppollant with the coI?.r,:ission of th~ offence was given by t:::.o conplaimnt hinself. He, io. the coI7!plainant, swore thc.t tto n.j_)pollant bit r...in on tho- bo-oo- uncl puahod hin to tho grounc.:. ciftur o. short altorcation ovor wastage of tap wator by tllo o-::;:;~ollc.nte 'l1Lo inciclcrnt occurred in tho night o.t the guost ::.ouso owned by the corJplainant a.nd whoro tho o.:._.pol111nt bad loc.lgcc-;. fo1° that nigLt. Tho cvic.once af tl:o complainant "ms suppartec:, in 1:12.tori1=1:l particular, by tbv.t of one Sofu !,1ob:11:10d (Plio2) wLo sworo to witnessing tho ,in6idonto Tho appellant raised tto gonorc.l dofonce oi denic.l 1:1ncl ncldocl oooo/2 \ :.--. ·;t·

2 - -th.,,-t th0 -complu~ "'t,r,s n.sso:ul tee b;/ 1,ers ons other than the q,ppollant Linsolf, The learnocl l';rincipal Diat:rict Magistrate. n.cceptocl tLo Proscout5.on oviclcnco 2.nc. rojoctotl the defence stor.r, The evidence establishes beyond. c.1oubt tlmt the complaimnt WG-S assau'.l.tocl on the r.nto.rial nicJ::t anc1.. further that, as c. result tl:crco:f; Lo su.if"o:;•ccl c1ctml bo,":.J.1, L.:"..rn; to wit ctlsl0cc:,tion of tl::.e right sl:mtlclort Tho illJUX'y vte,s doscribod in the PF.3 (EY..h 1 .A') a.s c.nountine to Dnneorous E:arw. Grievous ho,rr.1 is defined in Seoti,on 5 of tho J?onc.~ Coc.i.e 2.s b0i.ng h,,rn 1-;h:l.oh oawos TIA~ • _ ¢ - I &i,. 1 - 1 ;:--- nent or sori ous injury bi' d.isfigu:ror.:ont. In tho case of R v • Mipa.a. o.lias ?Jk,,s2,njo. s/o H.-m:r:.cnjiuio, il.968) JJQ~. 262 it was ho:Ld by this Court (por Son.ton J •) tlat loss of ono tooth c1ic.l not c.nount to· grievous be.rm.- In 0,11 C,:::,rlior case of Regina Vo .All s/o Faldli 2 TLR (R) •. it wr.s hold. tlmt Police Forn on whi.oh a noclico.1 offico:r has ,-i±i-tten the,t h1 l:::.is opir.d.on a.h injury is . . ' grievous hart:1 is not evic'l.oncc Of. g.riOVOU$ b.t..!'EJ and stould not bo a.clmi ttecl c,s such. ;tt wrc f1.,1.;:ctL0r held., in tho sane Ali Fa.kili oaso, trot a broken 2-rm ;is l:'.ot neoossnrily .g'l'i(;VOUS ho.rn anc1. it is for tho Court on p!'opor eviciohco bcf o:ro it to cle9icl.o whothor r..n.rra is grievous or not b.ncl. ot :tor tho L'_oc.:.ian.l officer to dec;l.do • In the instant: cci.se :l. t is cloc;r tlm t the locned :Principl District Magistrcto, s: o sv..y 1 opinion on ExL.. 11 An llookj lino of the Ali ]hki li er.so { suprc.) , swcllowed the ooc1..ical officers , c!,i'lc sinl-cor; 011 tho c.uthori ty ,,hict: 1 _ t.o r.i~· knowloclge has not . . been overruled. by e, LigheJ:> Cor::rt of' Error &nd it, thorcforo 1 s t::i.11 l'Ol:10,111$ lc.w, tho lec.rnoc"'.. t:cie,l [l:",ciS t:hi. to erred.. TLoro I is o.bsolutcly not oven a g.r-2.in c,:L avid.one~ to show thr:.t tho □ ore disloontion of tto rlc;Lt s:·ov-1clor diet co.uso such porr:10.:h\ilni or serious wjur: or c"l.isfigu:rcucr:.t .:.,s to n.nount to grievous hem. On tho ovi<:lonco o.vt..ilc'.·lo t!.:o inju±y suffered by tho complo.ioont wu::. t~cus on).y c:n :::.·c:·cr;l bocliiy J:-:o,rno li.S roe;c.rC:S tL0 idenili ty o:: Vo pn"Son wl o C<lW3Gcl tho saic1 lJoclily rorm, onco tl:o ov•idc::i.cc.: c:,:i. t' o ccDplt:inrmt o.nd. P1J"2 we,s n.ccoptod thon,inci_cec1, thoro rou:,:Ln, no roor_. for doubt that tho idcntifiontion of tLo c.ppolknt c,s t1:..o culprit wns fully c..ncl Sufficiently osta,blistGdo T'.co i:o.cid.ont ooctu·rod. at tl:.e vory •••• /3 •

... ' plaee ffll.o:oo tl:o appt.tllav.1! ,roo -f;-o .'....!;)3. 'f'or ~ pightf it. bapponod to tho appe;J.J.wtJe own 1:ost; 2,nc:. in tL.c full viow of a persq wl:o by virtue of l:d.G omployecnt, wc..s 2,ttona.1.g to tl:o appellant/ I In his poti tion ot o.:ppQe.l, tho hppolknt docs twt rnise any- tl:.ing worth consido.rntion by tlis Court, Somo' of Lo point· , :r::.isocl by l:.ir.1 s ounc.1. pc tontly ridiculous. For exai:;1plo, tl:o appello.nt wondo1s hot1 tt.o lccrnod trin.1 r:1CJ.gistro.to c;;o.rn to the I conclusion ttct the injury .wns rous wl:ile: hard Fc.,s no ovichlnce trot tl:o 00Ppl2.ioc:.rt wrs 2,cl:.1i ttoC::. in qspi tnl.. Admiss- ion in l:oopi tel is by no r.1ct:.11s (lccisivo on this to:i.nte,_ \ Tho quosti9.n of cl'Qclibi:i.i ty of wi tncsses wc.s cccpetontJ.y doc..lt • '\ \ !,i tl: by the trial Courto In tbc,t com1ection I do iot hosi ta.to ' to poiY.t out tllct oven by :·10ro rog Qi· -tr9ripb, of tho , e,ppollant 's story in l:.is c.of'.cnco tL snDo, in 1 te circuL.1StD.ncos • I of tho ca.so, sounds tmnspa.rcntly fc.lso. On my e,zn1\JD,tion of tho evidence~ like the loc.rwcl Principal Distric~ J'ki.,g'i.strate-,--%' ---- ..... ___ _ \ -~ . . :find· tbat •tr.o 8.-ppo-llc.nt· wv .. s tl..e ··pu:r·son wl.o n.ssa.ulecl the ccmp::l..e- ino.nt c..nd fu:rthur toot tl:o snic nssault whs unlo;w:fu.lo' ·,,RowyY, tho offence· wU.c:t. tho o.ppellc.nt 'co,.r:'i ttGe:. ancl for vil::.ich to ougtt 'to ho.vo, properly, boon co:rrviotecl is 1'.ssault causin~ uotua.l k,clily ham. contro.rJ to Secti<)n 2:;t5 bf tl:<CJ 1 Porol Cocl.e t:.nd. not dt .ng grievous hc::rn. In terns of §octobs O nr,cl 366 of tL.o- Crid.- _:.:c .. 1 Pro.ooc"..u.re Act 0 1 r_; accorclj,.p.gly, enter tl10 c..lto:-nc..tivo voJdict.. ~ .J • \ .. Turning to Sontonco, tho l:-.rn9C. tricl un.gistro..to :pur..ishcc'. th cppolliJ:nt for t:o offence of 0 ricvous t.cpD which cmrios o, r-,axigu,m . . ~ . ' , .,J?Cnalty- of sc1m1D,)'.'8 inpriS(J..iJCJ:t 1.md which _is .:iore "orious tm):l tho offonoo for Ltl:.o appolle,nt. !:ow stc.nds convicted., Tho r:1BJ!!i01.lD pe,tlillty for the snicl offoncv :.,:.; five yoo,rs inp:dsonneμt,•, Alt4 tho a.ppollo.nts bchc.yiour 1;c-,c :est wibooO[jing o.nd ho xtibi toa.. violent instinct ho ¥i18! no7crtl:.,0loss, a it ?ffcnf6:r! . I tld:nk · c. sont0x1c0 of tirn yQn'f/ll 1 inp:;:-j_s or..: 0 on will be suffio~~nt. :to ooet I the justice of tho .cq.poo Acc9rc.ingl~, to sentence- reduced tp inprisonnont for~ tern of ti;o ?rs. Tt.o order.of ?;onponscJon will:,· -h~~~ romnin 1.:11<.1.isto/bocl. ,.,0 ·l;i.:i-1 e:l!,,sn.vo for tbo co:rrviotion wbich bu,s opJ.y beon cl tr~d : ·. :;~d tllo· Se?}.~Cnco•\r401:i. ms boon rou:ucocl, tW.s o.ppoo.+ fnils e.n.C. it -''"· \ 7 ~ ; . is heb:JY,_P.r:lis~ • . _ ~ .·.// L / . 1 ._ . ·., ) : .. •,. (H •. .,.D s~: .,. \ •, >i"J,',, , - .\ , ·-9. .- 1il.P'ti ,.o·- ., •