R v Luthango (CRI/S 2 of 91) [1991] LSCA 41 (10 April 1991)

C R I / S / 2 / 91 IN T HE H I GH C O U RT OF L E S O T HO In t he m a t t er of : R EX v M A K H U LU L U T H A N GO J U D G M E NT D e l i v e r ed by t he H o n. M r. J u s t i ce M . L. L e h o h la on t he 10th d ay of A p r i l, 1991 T he C o u rt a t t a c h es g r e at i m p o r t a n ce to y o ur s t a te of m i nd at t he t i me of t he a l l e g ed o f f e n c e. T h is is s h o wn by t he f a ct t h at t he C o u rt b e l ow a s k ed y ou "Did y ou at t i m es go o ut of y o ur s e n s e s ?" Y ou a n s w e r ed " Y e s" and t he C o u rt a s k ed y ou f u r t h er " W ho is r e s p o n s i b le f or t he s i t u a t i o n ?" Y ou s a id " T h e re a re m a ny l u n a t i c s. I am n ot t he o n ly o n e ". P. W. I t he c o m p l a i n a nt said t h at she k n o ws y ou to be a d a g ga s m o k er and t h at on t h at day y ou w e re e i t h er u n d er the i n f l u e n ce of d a g ga s m o k i ng or w e re i n t o x i c a t e d. All t h at s he o b s e r v ed of y ou w as t h at y ou w e re u n d er t he i n f l u e n ce of i n t o x i c a t i ng s t u f f. But y ou did n ot t a ke h er to t a sk a b o ut t h i s. w r o ng to h a ve said t h at y ou w e re d r u n k. You did not say t h at she w as Y o ur q u e s t i o ns w e re o n ly t wo in n u m b e r, n a m e ly : W h e re did I a t t a ck y o u ?" S he s a id "At my h o u s e" and t h en y ou a s k ed h er "Did y ou see me v e ry w e ll or y ou o n ly i d e n t i f i ed me s o m e h o w ?" S he a n s w e r ed " Y es I saw y ou w i th my o wn e y e s ". She said y ou w e re i n t o x i c a t ed and y ou did n ot put to h er t h at she w as l y i ng in s a y i ng so y et w h en t he C o u rt a s k ed y ou "Is it / n ot - 2 - n ot b e c a u se y ou s m o k ed d a g ga t h at y ou c o m m i t t ed t h is o f f e n c e ?" Y ou s a id " N o ". M ow t h at a n s w er is n ot r e c o n c i l a b le w i th t he p r e v i o us a n s w e r, n a m e l y, t h at y ou t o ok t h at w h o e v er is r e s p o n s i b le f or t h is o f f e n ce m u st h a ve b e en o ut of h is s e n s e s. Y ou s u g g e s t ed t h at it c o u ld h a ve b e en a ny o t h er l u n a t ic i n c l u d i ng y o u r s e lf b e c a u se y ou a re n ot t he o n ly l u n a t i c. It m ay w e ll be t h at t he q u e s t i on of t he i n t e n t i on to c o m m it t he o f f e n ce w as o b l i t e r a t ed by t he i n t a ke of e i t h er d r i nk or d r u gs i n c l u d i ng d a g g a. T h e re is n o t h i ng to s u g g e st t h at t he c o m p l a i n a nt - t he o ld l a dy w i th w h om y ou w e re s t a y i ng and w ho is y o ur r e l a t i ve - c o u ld c o me and lie a b o ut y o u. In o t h er w o r ds I am t r y i ng to i l l u s t r a te t h at t he f a ct of h er h a v i ng b e en m a de a v i c t im of r a pe is n ot in q u e s t i o n. T he q u e s t i on to be a s k ed is t he s t a te of m i nd of t he p e r s on w ho p e r p e t r a t ed t he o f f e n c e. T h e re is no q u e s t i on as f ar as t he r e c o rd s h o ws t h at t he c u l p r it h as b e en c l e a r ly i d e n t i f i ed by t he v i c t i m. T h en as I s a id t he o n ly q u e s t i on r e m a i n i ng is t he s t a te of m i nd of t he p e r p e t r a t or of t h is o f f e n c e. T he c o m p l a i n a nt s t a t ed t h at t he p e r p e t r a t or s e e m ed to be i n t o x i c a t e d. You on t he o t h er h a nd did n ot d e ny t h at y ou w e re d r u n k. All y ou i n f o r m ed t he C o u rt r e g a r d i ng t h is m a t t er w as t h at y ou a re n ot t he o n ly l u n a t ic and t h at at t i m es y ou go o ut of y o ur m i n d. T h is w o u ld t e nd to c o r r o b o r a te t he s t o ry of t he c o m p l a i n a nt t h at y ou w e re d r u nk t h at d ay or i n t o x i c a t e d. M ow o r d i n a r i ly or a c c o r d i ng to C o m m on L aw if a m a n 's m i nd h as b e en o b l i t e r a t ed by d r i nk t h en he is n ot c a p a b le of f o r m i ng an i n t e n t i o n. But t he l e g i s l a t u re a l e rt to t he u n t o ld h a rm t h at w o u ld r e s u lt f r om s u ch a s t a te of a f f a i rs e n a c t ed a P r o c l a m a t i on 60 of 1 9 3 8, n a m e l y, t he C r i m i n al L i a b i l i ty of I n t o x i c a t ed P e r s o n s; S e c t i on 2 ( 2) of w h i ch s a ys : " I n t o x i c a t i on s h a ll be a d e f e n ce to any c r i m i n al c h a r ge if by r e a s on t h e r e of t he p e r s on c h a r g ed at t he t i me of t he a ct c o m p l a i n ed of did n ot k n ow t h at s u ch a ct w as w r o ng or d id n ot k n ow w h at he w as d o i ng and - / ( a) T he - 3 - (a) (b) T he s t a te of i n t o x i c a t i on w as c a u s ed w i t h o ut his c o n s e nt by t he m a l i c i o us act of a n o t h er p e r s o n; or T he p e r s on c h a r g ed w as by r e a s on of i n t o x i c a t i on i n s a ne t e m p o r a r i ly or o t h e r w i se at t he t i me of such a c t ". Your C o u n s el has u r g ed on t h is C o u rt t h at it s h o u ld i g n o re all t h o se b ut r a t h er c o n c e n t r a te on s u b s e c t i on ( 4) of t h at s e c t i on 2 - " I n t o x i c a t i on shall be t a k en into a c c o u nt for t he p u r p o se of d e t e r m i n i ng w h e t h er the p e r s on c h a r g ed had f o r m ed any i n t e n t i on s p e c i f ic or o t h e r w i se in t he a b s e n ce of w h i ch he w o u ld n ot be g u i l ty of t he p a r t i c u l ar o f f e n ce c h a r g e d ". It w o u ld seem w r o ng to t r e at s u b s e c t i o ns of t he s t a t u t es in i s o l a t i on f r om each o t h e r. We h a ve h e a rd e v i d e n ce w h i ch c a s ts t he o n us on y o u, n a m e l y, to s h ow t h at y o ur s t a te of i n t o x i c a t i on w as n ot s e l f - i n d u c ed or w h at y ou c a ll y o ur lack of r e c o l l e c t i on of e v e n ts w as n ot i n d u c ed by y o u, or y o ur i m p l i c it a c c e p t a n ce of t he s t a te of l u n a cy t h at you a l l u d ed to w as n ot i n d u c ed by y o u, b e c a u se if it w as i n d u c ed by you t h en t he p r o v i s i o ns of o ur C r i m i n al P r o c e d u re and E v i d e n ce 1901 A ct S e c t i on 172 w o u ld a p p l y. N ow y ou h a ve a l l u d ed to t he f a ct t h at you w e re in a s t a te of lunacy or u t t er loss of m e m o ry and it is t he r e q u i r e m e nt of t he law t h at y ou o u g ht to h a ve e s t a b l i s h ed on a b a l a n ce of p r o b a b i l i t i es t h at y ou w e re o ut of y o ur m i n d. On t he e v i d e n ce r e v e a l ed on t he r e c o rd it is c e r t a in t h at you h a ve f a i l ed to do s o. I h a ve no d i f f i c u l ty in t r e a t i ng y o ur c a se in a c c o r d a n ce w i th p r o v i s i o ns of S e c t i on 1 72 of t he C r i m i n al P r o c e d u re and E v i d e n ce A ct r e f e r r ed to a b o v e. I h a ve t a k en into a c c o u nt t he r e m a r ks of t he l e a r n ed M a g i s t r a te c o n c e r n i ng t he r e a s o ns why she has c o m m i t t ed you f or s e n t e n ce by t h is C o u r t. R e l y i ng on M o n a n t h a n e, a c a se r e f e r r ed to by y o ur C o u n s el and t he s e c t i on in o ur C r i m i n al P r o c e d u re and E v i d e n ce i.e. S e c t i on 2 9 3, it has b e en u r g ed on me t h at t he p r o v i s i o ns / of t h at -4- of that s e c t i on have not been c o m p l i ed with to the e f f e ct that and reading - "Where on the trial by the S u b o r d i n a te C o u rt a p e r s on w h o se a p p a r e nt age e x c e e ds 18 y e a rs is c o n v i c t ed of an o f f e n ce the C o u rt m a y, if it is of o p i n i on t h at g r e a t er p u n i s h m e nt ought to be i n f l i c t ed for the o f f e n ce than it has power to i n f l i c t, for r e a s o ns to be r e c o r d ed in w r i t i n g, c o m m it him in c u s t o dy to t he High C o u rt for s e n t e n ce " Your Counsel s u b m i t t ed t h at no r e a s o ns to that e f f e ct w e re r e c o r d ed in w r i t i n g. I a g r ee with him on t h at b e c a u se I have o b s e r v ed t h at all that the M a g i s t r a te r e c o r d ed in that regard was t h at p e r h a ps k e e p i ng y ou in jail for a long t i me would have a s a l u t a ry e f f e ct on y o u. But I h a ve a l so read in her j u d g m e nt p r o p er w h e re she has r e f e r r ed to j u d g m e n ts of this C o u rt showing in no u n c e r t a in t e r ms why she c o m m i t t ed y ou for s e n t e n ce by t h is Court,that she has r e f e r r ed on page 2 of her R e a s o ns for J u d g m e nt to the c a se of Rex v M o l e l e ki M o r ie R e v i ew O r d er N o . 10 of 1988 - A d e c i s i on by t h is very C o u rt - w h e re she q u o t ed the j u d g m e nt as f o l l o ws : "If the a p p r o p r i a te s e n t e n ce f a l ls a b o ve the M a g i s t r a t e 's s e n t e n c i ng p o w e rs he should c o m m it the a c c u s ed involved for s e n t e n c i ng by t h is C o u r t ". The Learned M a g i s t r a te w e nt f u r t h er to q u o te the c a se of Rex v Lehana Criminal R e v i ew No, 572 of 1988 ( C R I / R E V / 5 7 2 / 8 8) where t h is C o u rt again said "the t r a u ma of rape to the victim of such an act is as d e h u m a n i s i ng as it is p e n e t r a t i n g. In fact no a m o u nt of s e n t e n c i ng can p a r a l l el its d e b i l i t a t i ng e f f e ct on t he v i c t i m 's p s y c h o l o g i c al w e l l - b e i n g" With this I am s a t i s f i ed that the M a g i s t r a te had at the back of her mind the p r o p er r e a s o ns why t he c a se has been c o m m i t t ed for s e n t e n ce by this C o u r t. It w as j u st u n f o r t u n a te t h at w h en she had to w r i te or record the p r o p er r e a s o ns she put w r o ng o n e s. Having sold all t h is then I find that the / p r o v i s i o ns - 5 - p r o v i s i o ns of S e c t i on 1 72 of o ur C r i m i n al P r o c e d u re and E v i d e n ce do a p p l y. I f i nd t h at t he o f f e n ce w as c o m m i t t e d. B ut t h at f or o ne r e a s on or a n o t h e r, b e c a u se of i n t o x i c a n ts w h i ch y ou had c o n s u m e d, t h e re w as an e l e m e nt of m e n t al i n c a p a c i t a t i on a b o ut y o u. S u b s e c t i on 2 s a ys t h at if t he C o u rt f i n ds t h is to be t he c a s e, t h en e i t h er y ou a re to be c o m m i t t ed p e n d i ng t he s i g n i f i c a t i on of t he K i n g 's p l e a s u re or t he C o u rt m ay m a ke any o r d er t h at it d e e ms f i t. I f e el t h at I s h o u ld r a t h er g i ve y ou b e n e f it of a l t e r n a t i ve o p t i on or m a ke an a l t e r n a t i ve o r d er to t he m a in o ne p r e c e d i n g. You w i ll r e m a in in d e t e n t i on f or e i g ht ( 8) y e a r s. J U D GE 1 0 th A p r i l, 1 9 91 F or t he C r o wn : M i ss M o r u t h a ne F or t he D e f e n ce : M r. P u t s o a ne