Defence wraps up testimony in gang rape case
The defendants in the gang rape case being escorted out of the Resident Magistrate Court in Dodoma. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Two of the accused provided their testimony on Wednesday and other two did so on Thursday, September 26, 2024, completing the defence.
Dodoma. The defence in the criminal case involving four defendants accused of gang rape and sodomy, has completed presenting their evidence after they all testified.
Two of the accused provided their testimony on Wednesday and other two did so on Thursday, September 26, 2024, completing the defence.
The defence presented four witnesses without submitting any exhibits while the prosecution called 18 witnesses and submitted 12 pieces of evidence.
Speaking to the press outside the court, defence lawyer Meshack Ngamando, said they had finished presenting their evidence, with all four accused being the defendants themselves.
He said that the defence had originally planned to call 10 witnesses and submit six exhibits but they ended up presenting only four witnesses without any exhibits.
According to him, some exhibits, related to one of the defendants, were not submitted in time as they were in the possession of the government.
Mr Ngamando said that both sides had now presented all their evidence, and on Friday, September 27, 2024, final legal submissions will be made. These submissions will cover the entire case, from the arrest of the defendants to the closing of evidence, ensuring all legal procedures were followed.
“We’ve asked the court to allow us to present our final submissions tomorrow, reviewing the whole process of this case—starting with the arrest of the accused, their identification, the witnesses who testified against them, and the evidence presented - to see if everything met legal requirements,” Mr Ngamando said.
The four defendants in the criminal case No. 23476 of 2024, include Clinton Damas, also known as Nyundo, and Amin Lema (Kindamba), Nickson Jackson (Machuche) and Praygod Mushi.
They were first brought to court on August 19, 2024, charged with gang rape and sodomy of a girl from Yombo Dovya, Dar es Salaam, referred to in court as XY.
The case is being heard by senior resident magistrate, Ms Zabibu Mpangule, at the Dodoma court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Due to the nature of the case that sparked outrage, the National Prosecution Office denied bail and requested the court to be heard continuously, in camera.
