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Citation
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Judgment date
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| November 2010 |
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Rape conviction quashed where child witnesses’ evidence was admitted without required s127(2) safeguards and penetration was unproven.
Criminal law – rape – evidence of child witnesses – strict compliance with section 127(2) Evidence Act required before receiving testimony of child of tender age; failure to conduct voir dire or record requisite findings renders such evidence inadmissible; where child evidence is expunged and remaining evidence fails to prove penetration under section 130(4)(a) Penal Code, conviction must be quashed.
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28 November 2010 |
| September 2010 |
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Identification evidence was insufficient and witness inconsistencies warranted quashing the convictions.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – Visual identification must be 'watertight' – Consideration of lighting, distance, duration and state of witnesses; credibility and inconsistencies – Second appeal power to re-evaluate facts where lower courts misapprehend evidence.
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30 September 2010 |
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Conviction for rape of an eight‑year‑old upheld; illegal 30‑year term quashed and substituted with mandatory life imprisonment.
Sexual offences — evidence in camera (s.186(3) Criminal Procedure Act) — non‑compliance curable if no prejudice (s.388(1)). Summoning witnesses — ss.142,143 Criminal Procedure Act; court need not summon cumulative witnesses. Defence of alibi — notice under s.194; trial court may consider alibi despite lack of formal notice. Continuation of trial by another magistrate — s.214 discretion to act on recorded evidence. Evidence — minor contradictions immaterial if core facts established; physical exhibit (bedsheets) admitted. Sentencing — rape of a girl under ten attracts mandatory life imprisonment (s.131(3) Penal Code as amended).
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6 September 2010 |
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Applicant's rape conviction upheld; illegal 30-year term quashed and substituted with mandatory life imprisonment.
Criminal law – Rape of a girl under ten – mandatory life sentence under section 131(3) Penal Code (as amended). Criminal procedure – Sexual offences – in-camera requirement (s.186(3) CPA) – irregularity curable under s.388(1). Evidence – Child complainant; corroboration by family and medical evidence; minor inconsistencies immaterial. Defence – Alibi – notice requirements (s.194(4)–(5)) and court's power to consider under s.194(6). Procedure – Magistrate succession (s.214 CPA) – discretion to act on predecessor's recorded evidence. Exhibits – Production and admission of physical evidence (bedsheets as exhibit P2).
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6 September 2010 |
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Conviction for rape of eight-year-old upheld; thirty-year sentence quashed and substituted with mandatory life imprisonment.
Criminal law – Rape of a child under ten – Evidence and corroboration; Criminal procedure – s.186(3) in-camera requirement: irregularity curable if not prejudicial; Alibi defence – notice requirements and court's discretion to consider; Succession of magistrates – s.214 discretion to act on predecessor's recorded evidence; Mandatory sentencing – s.131(3) life imprisonment for rape of girl under ten; Exhibits – production and admission of physical evidence (bedsheets).
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6 September 2010 |
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Conviction for incest upheld; procedural lapses found non‑fatal and evidence proved guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Criminal law – Incest – proof of identity and sexual intercourse – role of victim testimony corroborated by medical evidence. Procedure – Trial in camera – compliance with s.186(3) Criminal Procedure Act; failure to sit in camera not fatal absent miscarriage of justice. Procedure – Preliminary hearing s.192 Criminal Procedure Act – omission an irregularity not necessarily vitiating trial. Evidence – Child witness – voir dire under s.127(2) Evidence Act; unsworn child evidence requires corroboration. Evidence – Failure to summon investigator – credibility and reliability of witnesses, not number, determinative.
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6 September 2010 |
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Appellant's incest conviction and 30‑year sentence upheld; procedural irregularities not fatal absent miscarriage of justice.
Criminal law – Incest – Elements of offence under section 158(1) and sufficiency of proof. Evidence – Child witnesses – Voir dire under section 127(2) and corroboration of tender‑age evidence. Criminal procedure – Requirement to sit in camera (s.186(3)) and preliminary hearing (s.192) – non‑compliance as irregularity, not automatic nullity. Procedure – Failure to summon investigating officer – no fixed minimum witnesses; credibility and corroboration are decisive. Sentencing – 30 years imprisonment upheld where conviction is properly supported.
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6 September 2010 |
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Conviction quashed where identification at night by assaulted complainant was unreliable and insufficiently detailed.
Criminal law — Identification — Visual identification at night; prior acquaintance insufficient without detailed contemporaneous description; multiple assailants, poor lighting, brief opportunity and loss of consciousness increase risk of mistaken identity — conviction unsafe and quashed.
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6 September 2010 |
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Conviction based on unsafe night-time visual identification of the applicant was quashed and sentence set aside.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – Visual identification at night – adequacy of lighting, short duration, ambush and witness losing consciousness render identification unsafe. Identification – Prior acquaintance insufficient without contemporaneous descriptive detail; need to comply with principles in Mohamed Alhui v Rex (1942) 9 E.A.C.A. 72. Appeal – Conviction quashed where sole identification evidence is unsatisfactory.
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6 September 2010 |
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Conviction for rape of an eight‑year‑old upheld; thirty‑year sentence quashed and substituted with mandatory life imprisonment.
Criminal law – Rape of a child under ten – evidence and credibility; Criminal procedure – sexual offences trials to be in camera (s.186(3)) — irregularity curable if no prejudice; Summons of witnesses (ss.142–143) — unnecessary if evidence already sufficient; Alibi — failure to give notice does not preclude consideration; Magistrate succession (s.214) — discretion to act on predecessor’s record; Sentence — life imprisonment mandated for rape of a girl under ten (s.131(3)).
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3 September 2010 |
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Court affirms conviction: failure to hold preliminary hearing and late parade did not vitiate reliable identification and conviction.
Criminal law – armed robbery – elements and sufficiency of evidence; visual identification – application of Waziri Amani safeguards (time, distance, lighting, prior acquaintance, opportunity to observe). Criminal procedure – section 192 Criminal Procedure Act – preliminary hearing; omission does not automatically vitiate proceedings absent prejudice. Evidence – identification parade timing and potential prejudice; corroboration by arresting officer. Jurisdiction – Penal Code ss. 6(b) and 7 – prosecution of Tanzanian citizen for offences partly committed outside mainland Tanzania.
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3 September 2010 |
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3 September 2010 |
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Rape conviction quashed where visual identification by torchlight was unreliable and medical evidence inconclusive.
Criminal law — Identification evidence — Visual identification by torchlight — Prior acquaintance insufficient without particulars — Medical evidence not conclusive corroboration — Conviction unsafe.
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2 September 2010 |
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Whether evidence proved each appellant’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt: first upheld, second acquitted.
Criminal law – Armed robbery – identification and arrest after struggle – possession of stolen goods and house‑breaking instruments as proof; credibility of relatives’ testimony; insufficiency of mere possession of item bearing victim’s initials without linkage to crime.
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2 September 2010 |
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First appellant's armed robbery conviction upheld; second appellant acquitted for lack of evidence linking him to stolen property.
Criminal law – Armed robbery – identification and being caught with stolen goods or house‑breaking instruments – sufficiency of evidence to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Evidence – credibility of relatives as witnesses – no rule excluding relatives; weight assessed on merits. Possession of property – causal link required between allegedly found property and the offence; benefit of doubt where link absent.
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2 September 2010 |
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Unreliable visual identification and improper recording of evidence led to quashed convictions and set-aside sentences.
Criminal law – Visual identification – Requirements for watertight identification; need to eliminate possibilities of mistaken identity. Criminal procedure – Manner of recording evidence – Section 210 Criminal Procedure Act; evidence should ordinarily be recorded in narrative form, not as a report. Remedy – Effect of procedural irregularity where primary evidence is unsafe; quashing convictions rather than remitting for retrial where retrial would be futile.
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2 September 2010 |
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Conviction quashed for unsafe visual identification and unreliable eyewitness evidence; release ordered unless lawfully detained.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – visual identification is inherently weak and requires elimination of all possibilities of mistaken identity. Identification – relevant factors: time of observation, distance, lighting conditions, duration, prior acquaintance. Evidence – witness credibility and inconsistencies may render identification unsafe. Appeals – on second appeal a court may re-evaluate factual findings where lower courts misdirected themselves. Relief – conviction quashed and sentence set aside for unsafe identification.
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2 September 2010 |
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Whether evidence proved appellants' guilt beyond reasonable doubt — first appellant guilty, second acquitted for insufficient evidence.
Criminal law – Armed robbery – Identification and being caught with stolen property and house‑breaking instruments – proof beyond reasonable doubt; Evidence – Relatives as witnesses – no rule excluding or discounting their testimony; credibility assessed on merits; Evidence – Possession of property (bag with initials) insufficient without causal link to offense; benefit of doubt and acquittal.
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1 September 2010 |
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Conviction unsafe where identification was unreliable and evidence failed to prove elements of grave sexual abuse.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – Where complainant saw accused for first time, detailed description at sighting required for safe identification; clothing similarity alone is unreliable. Criminal law – Medical evidence – PF3 and clinician’s testimony may undermine prosecution account of sexual violence. Statutory interpretation – Grave sexual abuse under s.138C(1) requires an act for sexual gratification by use of genitalia, other body part, instrument or an orifice; bruising alone does not establish offence.
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1 September 2010 |
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Convictions quashed due to unsafe visual identification and improper recording of witness evidence.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – Visual identification: application of Waziri Amani principles; circumstances including brevity, poor lighting, multiple assailants and similar dress undermined reliability. Criminal procedure – Recording of evidence – Section 210 Criminal Procedure Act requires witnesses’ evidence to be taken in narrative form; taking evidence as a report contravenes the statute. Remedy – Remittal for re-recording may be appropriate for procedural defects, but where primary evidence is inherently unreliable a retrial/remittal is futile; conviction may be quashed.
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1 September 2010 |
| August 2010 |
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An application omitting required rule citation and grounds is incompetent and will be struck out; no costs ordered.
Civil procedure – competence of proceedings – necessity to cite specific Court of Appeal Rule when bringing an application; mandatory under Rule 48(1) (2009 Rules). Civil procedure – motions – requirement under Rule 45(1) (Court of Appeal Rules, 1979) that motions state their grounds; failure renders application incompetent. Appeal procedure – unclear citation may indicate failure to properly institute an appeal (e.g. Rule 83 under former Rules). Remedy – defective application struck out; no costs ordered where defects discovered by the Court's own research.
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31 August 2010 |
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The statutory minimum 30-year sentence for carnal knowledge of an animal is mandatory; appellate courts cannot reduce it.
Penal Code s.154(1)(b) – bestiality – statutory minimum sentence of not less than thirty years – mandatory nature of minimum – appellate reduction of sentence – statutory construction; legislative intent versus clear statutory wording.
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31 August 2010 |
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Insufficient identification and absence of evidence of the required sexual act undermined conviction for grave sexual abuse.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – witness saw accused for first time; need for detailed description to avoid mistake. Sexual offences – elements of grave sexual abuse (s.138C) – requirement of act for sexual gratification using genitals/other body parts/instruments/orifices. Medical evidence (PF3) – relevance where report contradicts alleged rape. Conviction unsafe where identification and ingredients of offence not proved. Order setting aside conviction, sentence and compensation; immediate release unless lawfully held.
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31 August 2010 |
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Identification was unreliable and the evidence did not establish the elements of grave sexual abuse, so conviction was quashed.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – necessity for detailed description where complainant first sees accused. Identification at arrest – reliance on clothing may be insufficient. Medical evidence and PF3 – relevance to proving rape. Sexual Offences – Elements of grave sexual abuse under section 138C(1) – requirement of sexual act (genital/body part/instrument/orifice) for sexual gratification.
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31 August 2010 |
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Lack of lodgement date and Registrar's signature on the memorandum of appeal is jurisdictionally fatal; appeal struck out with costs.
Civil procedure – Appeals – Memorandum of Appeal must show date of lodgement and Registrar’s signature; absence is jurisdictional and fatal; Court cannot cure essential statutory defects by inherent powers; computation of three clear days for service of preliminary objection.
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31 August 2010 |
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Cautioned statement taken outside statutory interview period inadmissible; remaining evidence insufficient to sustain armed robbery conviction.
Criminal procedure – cautioned statement – sections 50 and 51 CPA – statutory period for interviewing persons in custody – inadmissibility of statements taken outside prescribed period – repudiated confession – corroboration and sufficiency of identification evidence.
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31 August 2010 |
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A court may not reduce the statutory mandatory 30‑year sentence for carnal knowledge of an animal; the original sentence was restored.
Criminal law – Bestiality – Section 154(1)(b) Penal Code (as amended) – statutory minimum sentence of not less than thirty years – mandatory nature of the minimum – appellate courts’ lack of discretion to impose lesser term; statutory purpose cannot override clear penal wording.
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30 August 2010 |
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Cautioned statement taken outside statutory interview period inadmissible; remaining evidence insufficient to sustain armed robbery conviction.
Criminal procedure — admissibility of cautioned statement — sections 50 and 51 Criminal Procedure Act — interview period and lawful extension; repudiated confession cannot be used to corroborate identification if inadmissible; identification evidence must independently link accused to offence; presence as customer insufficient to sustain armed robbery conviction.
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30 August 2010 |
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Appellate court will not disturb damages absent error; post‑judgment interest capped at 7% absent written agreement.
Civil damages – assessment of quantum for personal injury – appellate interference only where wrong principle or wholly erroneous assessment; Loss of earnings – self‑employed claimant and treatment as general damages when exact income cannot be proven; Evidence – unexplained discrepancies in exhibits not fatal where explanation given and uncontradicted; Interest – pre‑judgment/pleaded rates stand if unchallenged; post‑judgment interest governed by Order XX, Rule 21 CPC (7% default, up to 12% only by written agreement).
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27 August 2010 |
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Appellant's rape conviction affirmed: visual identification and corroborating witnesses were watertight despite PF3 irregularity.
Criminal law – Rape – visual identification – application of Waziri Amani principles; Evidence – admission of medical report (PF3) – non‑compliance with s.240(3) renders report of little value but not necessarily fatal; Evidence Act s.143 – discretion as to number of witnesses and non‑calling of investigator; Burden of proof – no impermissible shift to accused; Corroboration – multiple eye‑witnesses and prior acquaintance.
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27 August 2010 |
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Multiple eyewitness identifications in daylight upheld rape conviction despite procedural error in admitting PF3.
Criminal law – Rape – visual identification evidence – requirement to exclude mistaken identity; Evidence Act – number of witnesses discretionary; Criminal Procedure Act s.240(3) – PF3 admissibility and accused’s right to summon/report author; procedural omission not fatal if independent oral evidence is sufficient.
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27 August 2010 |
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Appeal allowed: court set aside judgment for denying parties hearing on jurisdiction and ordered rehearing.
Civil procedure – jurisdiction raised late – necessity to afford parties opportunity to be heard before deciding jurisdictional issue. Civil procedure – incompetent suit – where court lacks jurisdiction the proper order is to strike out, not to dismiss. Administrative law – post-internal appeal remedies – procedural guidance (issue remitted for determination, not finally decided).
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26 August 2010 |
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Visual identification and corroborative witness evidence upheld rape conviction despite non‑compliance with s.240(3) CPA.
Criminal law – Rape – Visual identification – Waziri Amani principles – Admission of medical report – non-compliance with s.240(3) Criminal Procedure Act – failure to summon/report author – corroborative witness evidence – conviction upheld.
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25 August 2010 |
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Reliable daylight visual identification corroborated by recovered stolen property sustained conviction despite procedural irregularities.
Criminal law – visual identification – reliability and cautions; daylight, close-range observation and corroboration by recovery of stolen property can render identification watertight; identification parade investigatory only. Evidence – admission of PF3 – non‑compliance with s.240(3) may be harmless if remaining evidence is sufficient. Procedure – no equivalent of s.289 committal rule for subordinate courts; no fixed number of witnesses required (s.143 Evidence Act). Trial practice – no mandatory "trial within a trial" in District Court; enquiry where appropriate.
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25 August 2010 |
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Identification was unreliable and recent possession inapplicable; convictions quashed and appellants ordered released.
Criminal law – Visual identification – Night-time identification requires conditions eliminating possibility of mistaken identity: lamp type and light intensity must be established. Criminal law – Recent possession – Inapplicable where stolen property not shown to be in accused's possession and location of recovery is inconsistent. Criminal procedure – Amendment/substitution of charge – Non-compliance with section 234(2)(b) may be irregular but curable under section 388 if no prejudice arises.
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25 August 2010 |
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24 August 2010 |
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24 August 2010 |
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A suit cannot be dismissed for want of prosecution on a mention date; dismissal requires a hearing under the CPC.
Civil procedure — Distinction between "mention" and "hearing" — "Mention" is a procedural practice, not a hearing under the CPC — Dismissal for want of prosecution permissible under CPC/Order IX only on hearing dates, not on mention dates — Substantive orders should not be made on mention dates absent consent and proper hearing procedure.
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24 August 2010 |
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Identification and recent-possession evidence inadequate; substituted-charge irregularity curable; convictions quashed.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – Night-time attack and uncertain lighting; necessity for conditions eliminating mistaken identity. Criminal law – Recent possession – Requirement that stolen property be found in accused’s possession; inconsistent testimony defeats application. Criminal procedure – Substitution of charge – Duty to allow recall or further cross-examination under s234(2)(b). Criminal procedure – Curable irregularities – Section 388 permits cure where no failure of justice.
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24 August 2010 |
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Daylight, close-range identification plus recovery of marked property rendered identification watertight; appeal dismissed.
Criminal law – Armed robbery – Visual identification – Waziri Amani caution required – daylight, close-range, ample observation time and corroboration by recovered marked property. Evidence – Admission of PF3 – non-compliance with s.240(3) – harmless error where remaining evidence sufficient. Procedure – No identification parade required where identification is watertight; no equivalent of s.289 committal-listing rule in subordinate courts; no fixed number of witnesses required (s.143 Evidence Act). Criminal procedure – "trial within a trial" not mandatory in subordinate courts; inquiry only if circumstances demand.
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23 August 2010 |
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Court upheld rape conviction despite PF3 procedural lapse, finding victim’s credible testimony and corroboration sufficient.
Criminal law – Sexual offences – Conviction may rest on credible testimony of the victim (s127(7)) and corroboration; Evidence Act s143 – no fixed number of witnesses required; Criminal Procedure Act s240(3) – accused’s right to require medical officer’s attendance when PF3 admitted; procedural lapse as to s240(3) does not necessarily vitiate conviction where other credible evidence exists; late/afterthought defence of frame-up properly rejected.
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20 August 2010 |
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The court dismissed the applicant's appeal, finding procedural defects immaterial given credible, corroborated evidence.
Criminal law – rape and assault – conviction based on victim’s evidence supported by eyewitnesses. Evidence Act s.143 – no fixed number of witnesses required; credibility and opportunity to observe are decisive. Evidence Act s.127(7) – conviction may rest on single sexual offence victim if credible. Criminal Procedure Act s.240(3) – mandatory duty to inform accused of right to summon/report-maker; non‑compliance not necessarily fatal where independent credible evidence exists. Appellate review – concurrent factual findings will not be disturbed absent clear misapprehension of evidence.
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20 August 2010 |
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Conviction quashed where visual identification was unsafe due to inadequate lighting evidence and failure to name suspect.
Criminal law – Identification evidence – visual identification; necessity to prove source and intensity of lighting; prior acquaintance insufficient alone; failure to name suspect at earliest opportunity undermines reliability; second appeal review where lower courts misapprehend evidence.
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19 August 2010 |
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Identification evidence was insufficient: bare acquaintance and 'there was light' were inadequate to sustain conviction.
Criminal law – identification evidence – prior acquaintance of witnesses; necessity for detailed descriptive evidence; requirement to prove source and intensity of light relied on for visual ID; significance of naming suspect at earliest opportunity; intervention by Court of second appeal where findings of fact rest on misapprehension of evidence.
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19 August 2010 |
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Appellate court upheld rape and assault convictions despite PF3 procedural defect and absence of some witnesses.
Criminal law – sexual offences – conviction may safely rest on single credible witness in sexual offence (s127(7) Evidence Act). Evidence – no prescribed number of witnesses (s143 Evidence Act) – focus on opportunity to observe and credibility. Criminal Procedure – medical report (PF3) – court must inform accused of right to require author’s attendance for cross-examination (s240(3)), but failure may be harmless where other evidence is ample. Appeal – contradictions in prosecution evidence – minor discrepancies not necessarily material; appellate interference only where lower courts misapprehend evidence. Defence – allegation of frame-up raised for first time in defence may be rejected as afterthought.
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19 August 2010 |
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On second appeal the Court quashed an unsafe robbery conviction due to unreliable prosecution evidence and failure to consider defence.
Criminal law – robbery with violence – sufficiency and credibility of prosecution evidence – contradictions and suspicious conduct of complainant – appellate interference on second appeal where lower courts misapprehend evidence.
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19 August 2010 |
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Court upheld conviction, finding visual and voice identification by a familiar witness and medical evidence sufficient to dismiss the appeal.
Criminal law – Rape – Identification – whether visual and voice identification by a familiar witness on a moonlit night and after prolonged contact is reliable and sufficient to support conviction. Evidence – Voice identification – admissibility and weight where witness is well acquainted with accused. Evidence – Corroboration – medical examination confirming rape strengthens identification evidence.
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19 August 2010 |
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Victim's familiarity, voice recognition and medical evidence upheld identification and sustained the rape conviction.
Criminal law – Rape – Identification evidence – eye and voice identification by a familiar witness – moonlight and prolonged contact – corroboration by medical evidence; noted observation on correct charge being gang rape (s.131A).
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18 August 2010 |
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Conviction quashed because visual identification was unsafe due to inadequate lighting evidence and failure to name the suspect.
Criminal law – visual identification – necessity to prove source and sufficiency of light; prior acquaintance insufficient without descriptive particulars; naming suspect at earliest opportunity; scope of second appeal to remedy misapprehension of evidence.
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17 August 2010 |
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Second appeal allowed where trial court misdirected by ignoring defence and unresolved contradictions in prosecution evidence.
Criminal law – robbery with violence; second appeal may re-evaluate facts where lower courts misdirected; trial court duty to assess and give reasons for rejecting defence evidence; contradictions in arrest evidence and failure to call arresting officer undermine prosecution case; credibility and identification must be properly evaluated.
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17 August 2010 |