John Sikuniso Nasilele v People (Appeal No. 7 of 1988) [1987] ZMSC 103 (12 January 1987)

lff,ntE SUPREMECOURTOF ZAMBIA HOLDEN AT LUSAKA (Criminal Jurisdiction) .. . ' J ·coRAM: , I Gardner, Ag. D. C. J., deltvered 1the Judgment of·thG court. . I' ?, : ., \ " ' :• •I , ' ' ' ·. '' :. / : . ( ' / ·.·.-:~,!,i .. :.'.'.·.,.·_ .. ·,i.;,,; . ·. . . . ··/:•","·'. ~ .. -~. ::•:L,-~-:~_ti,;j: . · . . , .. , ,<~~:,,,,;::,,:,::~:;:,,,.~n:~:~;J::::f?~:~-i:\ .. 4,:~> · · T~e appellant· was convicted of stock thef~l(i-tlJe •-P~rtlc:ulars . ,::,i; of tile cl'lar.ge being that.on the 2211d otr·Hovembet~,·1~~•·at Mongl.l~ jointly and whilst acting together wlth another persqrhunknowa, · he ·,:-.1·' . stole one ox valued at K400, the,property of ffOll!Unfe: ~ltel?e~.e.. . The appellant pleaded gullty-to the•charge and it t~ansplr.ed that: he :, •had four previous convicti~s for stock theft~. ·He.;,\s,.:;~_eotenc~<t-.,: · to eight years Imprisonment 'with. hard labour. ' He aPPtlil-o th.e>'' High Court, and. on appeal, the,s~n~~9i~~~~~~~~~9,'.'.t~.,?n~ ~,.:,·. >, fffteen years imprisonment .with hard 1,aboul." wtt/1 ten ~tro~es .o( , · · , • ;·:"1/?:i, .. _, : -''. •; ' ', ••. ,.,,,, '''•·:•~,; ,•_,. r,-,,. ·.-~_:;i:·:<.',<·.· . '•':::• ~ ..... ,_,,- . , ;.,,. , . :. 1 '.,.'a•, ' ' .,, . l · ' I ~ ' .. :.' •. . . - ' r. ', ' ' ',_, ' . .. , \ I ' · · ,: , . u, l\l ~-,.,-~, I ;:-:t.•ft\~·;~•-~ i' / ·{ · , · . ~ . the cane •. He now appeals as,l~tt•s,t~3;~f,.!~~-W~~fJ~iJ;it·, . · This court ~~s said on ~ . oe<:asJ011s 1,ln ~''~,st; 1~!t"tth~r!:1', · · :· .. A ' . ts no law in this country to deal ~.ttl) hab,tuat:off~~rs~ .:Th~re,fo".e :· ' a person's previous ~onviciion.s have only two.ef.fe,ct$'fl.ope is. Jh~t · . in serious· cases they may bring in statutory provisions: for increased·. S!ntences, and, secondly, preitous C~~~~ct.~~t~.;.!f!!(,rr~i tl)e' ·. .. . . amount of leniency that may be aff~rded\to a•·~~~~!·:F'f~on~ We have . ,, ' ' ',f .••. '; . ,• • :: .,_M«",.~ ' <· •••. . • ' ' ,-· •.. .- ,. '\'' . • ) ' . , •. ' • • • l . . ' ' ' .. __ , /fIJ1\:i? .· ,' 1/'tia,-,;vei-•--··.. , :.<~~,·:. - ~-" .-.;'.·:\.:··:·•·~.->\ i·- 'i . ~)~ }~ . i i ' ,' ' ' r ' :~~ __ '.' ·.''.\: li . . " '• ·,~ ,,, \, \,. ·i . : ,. ·. · •. / . . . . / / \, \ . ,,·;;.-.d~~; ·, (.-- ':'~,:,,5;:: l'olsYer' •has)zed, and we emphaslz15.-. that<C)ij''Qne !IIUst be/i(r •. • · sent_enced to a greater." sentence than that lllerlted 'by the offence. for which he is charged~ z - ,' ... ~·:· <:.. . . . ' ' - : , } . ' , , . , . . >" • • • ' ' In this case ther'e is a statutory provlSion that for sec_ond offenders in respect of. stock theft, the minimum sentence miJsli::be: seven years imprisonment with !lard labour. There is nothing .to take this· case of steallng one ox out of the broad spectrum Of cases covered .by the mt~imum sent~~c:e oi-'severi°'years lmpriso~t wtth hard labour. Fu~tb'ermore this coui:-t has also said that·generatly too 1!1JX)Stt1oo Of <Xl!poral jlllith'ft!!llt. ls• unjusttf;&d. There may •bf! . . ' excepttaaal cases as provided by the· law, b!.lt there is no evidence . . . , that this ts one of such exceptional ~ases~ • · · . • . ,· ~ ' . . . ' . The appeal wHl be allowed and· the sentence set aside~ He.· substitute a sentence of seven years · imprisonment with hard lab6ur . with effect from the' 231:'d of NQvemb~r. 1983.: · -<! .' ,:\~:):";;-',~( • • • , __ ; '{'• . : •;· ., .,"/ \·_,•:',. ;: i ,.;, ·," .• ,;-. ,, ·, i~·_,,::1.·,,• .. . '· ', •'.::· , . ·.: .' ·•·-•···•~···•···•'·••·· ....... :.-: ... , ............ ),., . : B. T/&i~~r' ,. .. ,·\ •. '· ,,., . , . ·.·. . ' .· ''.:·•,' . - .. ,,.1 ACTING· DEPUTY . CHIEF JUSTICE' ........•. : ................... •.•·~··-···· • ·, . ,,·~1. • /.• \., -: ... ', :.;.~;1 . •: . B~. K~i' 8tfeupe ACTING SUPREME COURT'JUDGE :'. ,}. ~ ( .. ·,'. ·: . ,;., < '. ~· ·•.' !,;.~ ,- ;'_;,.,,./ ... flt~$•·• Challa·· . ii,THIG SUPREME COURT JUDGE . .