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Citation
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Judgment date
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| March 2026 |
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Medical evidence proved a sexual act, but unsafe identification meant the appellant's conviction could not stand.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – Proof of sexual act: slight penetration sufficient; medical evidence and contemporaneous observations as corroboration
Identification – Single witness, fleeting observation, youth and lack of familiarity: risk of mistaken identity; absence of corroboration (identification parade, arresting officers, forensic evidence) renders conviction unsafe. Appeal review under Rule 30(1)(a)
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31 March 2026 |
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Second appellate court upheld convictions for soliciting/receiving gratification, finding evidence sufficient and hearsay/contradictions immaterial.
Anti-Corruption Act — solicitation and receipt of gratification — sufficiency of evidence; Criminal Procedure Code Act s.45 — limits of second appeals; hearsay evidence — not decisive where independent evidence exists; production of phone call printouts — not mandatory
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31 March 2026 |
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Failure to determine age rendered the adult sentence unlawful; appellant, found a child, must be released unless held on other charges.
Children Act — age determination and court's duty; burden on prosecution to prove majority; identification evidence and identification parade; right to interpreter and fair trial; sentencing limits for child offenders; illegal sentence and release
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31 March 2026 |
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Court reduced appellant's 35-year murder sentence to 23 years after deducting remand time.
Criminal law – Murder – Sentence – Appellate review of sentence – Manifestly excessive – Sentencing Guidelines – Consistency with comparable cases – Deduction for remand period (Article 23(8))
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30 March 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld murder sentences, finding they were not manifestly excessive and mitigating factors were considered.
Criminal law – sentencing for murder – appellate interference only where sentence is illegal, wrong in principle or manifestly excessive – sentencing guidelines and consistency – consideration of mitigating factors (first offenders)
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30 March 2026 |
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Appellant's conviction and 29-year sentence for murder upheld; identification and alibi properly assessed; sentence within guidelines.
Criminal law – Murder – Identification evidence and familiarity – Alibi defence and how it may be discredited – Sentencing: application of sentencing guidelines, consistency and appellate interference – First appeal review of evidence
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30 March 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld a 25 years 9 months murder sentence as lawful and not manifestly excessive.
Criminal law – Murder – Sentence – Appellate review of sentencing discretion – Manifestly excessive – Mitigating and aggravating factors – Deduction of remand time – Consistency in sentencing – Application of Sentencing Guidelines
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30 March 2026 |
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An agreed plea-bargain sentence for murder, properly entered and approved, will not be reduced on appeal absent exceptional circumstances.
Criminal law – Plea bargaining – Binding nature of plea-bargain agreements – Appellate interference with agreed sentence – Sentencing guidelines for murder – Mitigating factors (youth, influence)
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30 March 2026 |
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Circumstantial evidence (threats, sharpened pangas, last seen, concealment) proved murder; life sentences affirmed for brutal dismemberment.
Criminal law – Circumstantial evidence – Simon Musoke test – last-seen doctrine – prior threats and sharpening of pangas – concealment of clothes – dismemberment as extreme aggravation; sentencing – appellate interference standard; life imprisonment justified for exceptionally brutal, premeditated murder
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30 March 2026 |
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Conviction unsafe where trial court ignored defendant’s grudge defence and prosecution failed to investigate or produce key evidence.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – Participation must be proved beyond reasonable doubt; medical evidence confirms sexual activity but not perpetrator
Identification vs credibility – distinguishing familiarity cases from stranger-identification
Defence of grudge – duty to consider and weigh motive to fabricate. Failure to call material witnesses and produce exhibits – adverse inferences and impact on safety of conviction
Excluded confession – no evidential value once ruled inadmissible
Investigative omissions – unexplained absence of alleged weapon and call data undermining prosecution case
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30 March 2026 |
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Conviction on an unequivocal guilty plea upheld; sentence reduced from 40 years to 29 years, 6 months and 3 days.
Criminal law – plea of guilty – voluntariness and proper recording (Adan procedure) – plea as admission of essential ingredients; Criminal law – evidence of age – effect of unequivocal guilty plea; Criminal procedure – locus in quo – permissible verification, must not introduce new substantive evidence; Constitutional law – right to fair hearing – legal representation and demonstrable prejudice requirement; Sentencing – aggravated defilement with HIV as aggravating factor – appellate reduction for disproportionate emphasis on collateral aggravators
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30 March 2026 |
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Appeal against a 25‑year sentence for aggravated defilement dismissed; sentence found proportionate and within appellate sentencing range.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – Sentencing discretion – Appellate re‑evaluation under Rule 30 – Remand time and Article 23(8) – 2013 Sentencing Guidelines – Consistency with comparable appellate decisions
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30 March 2026 |
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Convictions on unequivocal guilty pleas upheld; sentence set aside and re-sentenced for failure to deduct remand time.
Criminal law – Plea of guilty – Brief facts and unequivocal plea; Criminal procedure – Appeal – second appellate review; Sentencing – failure to deduct remand period (Article 23(8)) renders sentence illegal; Re-sentencing under Judicature Act; Tax offences – false VAT returns and use of false TIN; Concurrent sentences
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30 March 2026 |
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Capitalisation of deferred interest into principal constitutes "payment" for withholding tax; appeal dismissed with costs.
Tax law – withholding tax on interest – meaning of "payment" under s.47(2) – capitalisation of interest as payment – use of foreign lender accounts and tax treaty – appellate review limited to points of law.
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27 March 2026 |
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An appellate court reduced the appellant's aggravated robbery sentence as manifestly excessive to ensure consistency with comparable cases.
Criminal law – Aggravated robbery – Appeal against sentence – Appellate interference where sentence is manifestly excessive; consistency in sentencing; mitigation (first offender, recovery of property, no injury); deduction for time on remand (Art.23(8)).
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26 March 2026 |
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A defendant cannot repudiate as excessive an agreed plea-bargain sentence absent illegality or miscarriage of justice.
Plea bargains – binding effect and limits of appellate review; sentencing – severity only challenge where agreement illegal or causes miscarriage of justice; deduction for time on remand under Article 23(8)
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25 March 2026 |
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Applicant's stay dismissed: EACJ reference is not a lodged appeal and no irreparable harm shown.
Stay of execution – requirements for stay pending appeal – notice of appeal – reference to East African Court of Justice not equivalent to lodged appeal – prima facie success – irreparable harm – imminent execution – security for costs – balance of convenience.
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25 March 2026 |
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Appeal against a 28-year murder sentence dismissed; remand time was credited and sentence upheld as appropriate.
Criminal law – Murder – Sentence – Credit for time on remand (Article 23(8)) – Appellate interference with sentencing discretion – Aggravating and mitigating factors; sentencing precedents
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25 March 2026 |
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Whether remand time must be arithmetically deducted from a sentence and whether that rule applies retrospectively.
Criminal law – Sentencing – Remand credit – Constitutional duty under Article 23(8) to account for time in lawful custody – Rwabugande requires arithmetic deduction of remand time – Rwabugande not retrospective to sentences passed before its delivery
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25 March 2026 |
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Appeal against a 17 years 8 months rape sentence dismissed; sentence and UGX 1,000,000 compensation upheld.
Criminal law — Sentencing discretion on appeal — Whether a sentence is manifestly excessive — Consideration of aggravating and mitigating factors — Compensation to victims under Article 126(2)(c) Constitution and section 125 Trial on Indictments Act
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25 March 2026 |
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Conviction upheld; remand-credit issues addressed and 40-year sentence reduced to 35 years for being excessive.
Criminal law – Sentencing – Deduction of remand period – Article 23(8) Constitution and Guideline 15 – Rwabugande arithmetic credit rule and its non-retrospective/quasi-retrospective effect; appellate interference with sentence – manifestly excessive principle; sentencing parity in child-murder cases
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25 March 2026 |
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An application to reinstate a dismissed appeal does not alone justify a stay once execution has been completed.
Civil procedure — Stay of execution — Requirements: pending appeal or notice of appeal; likelihood of success; irreparable or substantial loss; balance of convenience — Application for reinstatement not a substantive appeal — No stay where execution completed
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25 March 2026 |
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Court granted stay of execution pending appeal, finding prima facie case, irreparable harm, and ordering bank guarantee.
Court of Appeal jurisdiction – stay of execution pending appeal – criteria: prima facie case, irreparable harm, balance of convenience, promptness – res judicata not applicable where lower court vacated stay – security for due performance discretionary.
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24 March 2026 |
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Termination unlawful for lack of contractual notice; goodwill damages increased and accounting reconciliation ordered to ascertain counterclaim debt.
Contract law – distributorship – unlawful termination for non-use of Distributor Management System where DMS not contractual ground; contractual notice requirement – three months; damages – general and goodwill valuation; expert valuation accepted but projection period reduced; accounting disputes – court-ordered reconciliation
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24 March 2026 |
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Sentence was unlawful for failing to deduct pre-trial remand time; appellate court set sentence aside and ordered immediate release.
Constitutional law — Article 23(8) — mandatory deduction of pre-trial remand from sentence; Sentencing Guidelines Principle 15; illegality of sentence without mathematical deduction; appellate re-sentencing and immediate release.
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24 March 2026 |
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Appellate court reduced sentence where trial judge relied on an unproven prior conviction and gave insufficient guilty-plea credit.
Criminal law – sentencing – aggravated defilement – reliance on unproven prior conviction as aggravating factor – credit for early guilty plea – appellate interference with manifestly excessive sentence.
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24 March 2026 |
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Appellate court reduced an excessive sentence for aggravated defilement, balancing aggravating factors against advanced age and first-offender mitigation.
Criminal law – Sentencing – Appellate interference only where sentence is manifestly excessive or based on wrong principle; Aggravated defilement – weight of aggravating factors (age disparity, breach of trust, physical injury) versus mitigating factors (advanced age, first offender, time on remand) – reduction of sentence to achieve proportionality and consistency with precedents
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24 March 2026 |
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Trial judge unlawfully imposed a harsher sentence than agreed in a plea bargain; appellate court re-sentenced to 15 years 6 months.
Plea-bargain procedure (Judicature (Plea Bargain) Rules, 2016) – Court may reject plea bargain only under Rule 13 with reasons – Rule 15(2) prohibits imposing sentence more severe than agreed – right to appeal preserved (Rule 12(1)(g)) – appellate re-sentencing under Judicature Act s.11.
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24 March 2026 |
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A Chief Magistrate who sat as an appellate court cannot retry the matter; retrial must be remitted to the original court.
Magistrates' Courts — retrial — appellate court ordering retrial — functus officio — remittal to original court — transfer powers vested in High Court — supervisory powers of Chief Magistrate.
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19 March 2026 |
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Whether a purchaser's registered title obtained amid forged documents and rapid registration is defeasible for fraud and whether succession entries support locus to sue.
Land law; succession and customary distribution — admissibility and evidential weight of succession register and certified public documents; will proved in probate — presumption of validity; fraud in land registration — forged duplicate title, discrepancies, rapid registration, purchaser's duty of due diligence; remedies — cancellation of title; damages — special damages require strict pleading and proof, general damages discretionary.
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19 March 2026 |
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Appellate court will not disturb sentence where trial judge considered mitigating factors and sentence is not manifestly excessive.
Criminal law – sentencing – aggravated defilement – appellate interference with sentence only where illegal or manifestly excessive – consideration of mitigating and aggravating factors; sentencing guidelines and parity
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18 March 2026 |
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Appellate court reduced the appellant's excessive murder sentence and, after remand credit, imposed 30 years' imprisonment.
Criminal law - Murder - Sentencing - Appellate review of sentence - Manifestly excessive - Consistency in sentencing - Remand time deduction (Article 23(8)) - Patricide considered aggravating
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18 March 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld a 15-year rape sentence, finding the trial judge properly balanced aggravating and mitigating factors.
Criminal law – Rape – Sentencing – Application of Sentencing Guidelines and statutory range – Balancing aggravating and mitigating factors – Remand credit – Appellate review of sentence – Cross-appeal for enhancement
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18 March 2026 |
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Acknowledgment that remand time was considered satisfies Article 23(8); 20-year sentence upheld.
Constitutional law – Article 23(8) – remand time must be taken into account when sentencing; acknowledgment on record suffices; no mandatory arithmetic deduction required; appellate interference only where sentence illegal or manifestly excessive
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18 March 2026 |
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Applicant's challenge to a 17-year sentence for aggravated defilement as excessive was dismissed; sentence upheld.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – sentencing discretion – manifestly excessive sentence – appellate interference threshold; Sentencing guidelines – consideration of aggravating and mitigating factors; Plea of guilty and personal circumstances as mitigation; Uniformity and consistency in sentencing – persuasive comparative decisions.
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18 March 2026 |
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Failure to arithmetically deduct remand time makes a sentence illegal; appellate court re-sentenced considering mitigation.
Sentencing — aggravated defilement — failure to arithmetically deduct remand period renders sentence illegal; mitigation (youth, first offender) must be considered; appellate re-sentencing under Section 11 of the Judicature Act.
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18 March 2026 |
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Appellate court reduced the appellant's sentence after trial court failed to deduct remand time and consider mitigation.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement; sentencing – failure to arithmetically deduct remand period (Article 23(8)); appellate power to resentence (Section 11 Judicature Act); consideration of mitigating factors (youth, first offender).
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18 March 2026 |
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Whether the appellant’s sentence was illegal for failing to account for remand time and whether appellate re‑sentencing is permissible.
Criminal law – murder – sentencing – Article 23(8) Constitution – pre‑conviction custody to be taken into account – Rwabugande arithmetic deduction prospective only – appellate re‑sentencing under s.11 Judicature Act.
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18 March 2026 |
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Appellate court upheld conviction and 25‑year sentence for aggravated defilement of a nine‑month‑old; plea properly taken.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – sentencing discretion and consistency – aggravating factor: infant victim – plea of guilty – statutory procedure and Adan guidelines – voluntariness and recording of plea – remand credit
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18 March 2026 |
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The appellant's challenge to a 20-year sentence for aggravated defilement was dismissed as not manifestly excessive.
Criminal law – Sentencing discretion – aggravated defilement of a tender-aged child – balancing aggravating factors (victim’s age, brutality, risk of HIV/AIDS) and mitigating factors (guilty plea, remorse, first offender, remand deduction) – appellate interference only where sentence is illegal, based on wrong principle or manifestly excessive.
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18 March 2026 |
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Whether trial courts properly credited remand time; Rwabugande’s arithmetic deduction rule not retrospective to sentences before 3 March 2017.
Criminal law – sentencing – credit for remand time – Article 23(8) Constitution – Rwabugande decision on arithmetic deduction – non-retrospectivity – appellate correction of ambiguous sentencing under Judicature Act.
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18 March 2026 |
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Court affirms appellant's equitable interest; cancels fraudulent title, finds third-party buyers not bona fide, orders valuation-based compensation.
Land law — Equitable ownership and bona fide occupation — Acquisition of equitable interest by purchase and long occupation; Fraudulent registration — title obtained by fraud is defeasible and cancellable; Bona fide purchaser for value — duty to conduct due diligence and constructive notice; Remedies for fraudulent transfer — cancellation of title vs compensatory damages; Assessment of compensation — valuation by Chief Government Valuer, requirement of evidence/pleading for quantum.
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17 March 2026 |
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Appellants' letters of administration procured dishonestly to defeat co‑beneficiaries rendered the grant revocable and the land sale voidable.
Succession law — Letters of administration — Procurement by fraud — Revocation of letters for just cause — Administrators' duty to beneficiaries — Voidable sale of estate property.
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17 March 2026 |
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Stay of execution granted to preserve appeal rights while validation of a late notice of appeal is determined.
Civil procedure – stay of execution pending appeal – validation of out-of-time notice of appeal – discretionary relief – criteria: notice, likelihood/prima facie case, irreparable harm, balance of convenience, absence of delay – preservation of status quo where execution threatens to render appeal nugatory.
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17 March 2026 |
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On second appeal, the Court cannot re-evaluate facts; a general ground inviting fresh appraisal of evidence is struck out.
Civil procedure – second appeal – limited to questions of law; not a rehearing on facts where competent evidence exists; grounds of appeal must specify distinct points of error.
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17 March 2026 |
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Applicant failed to show sufficient reasons to extend time or validate a later notice; appeal dismissed and costs awarded.
Civil procedure — extension of time to file appeal — Rule 5 and Section 79 CPA — need for sufficient and credible reasons; validation of notices — earlier timely Notice of Appeal negates need to validate later filing; Covid-19 and counsel’s mistake insufficient to excuse lengthy delay.
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17 March 2026 |
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The appellant's challenge to a 31‑year sentence for brutal premeditated domestic murder was dismissed.
Criminal law – Sentencing – Appeal against sentence only – Murder – Mitigating factors (guilty plea, first offender) – Aggravating factors (premeditation, extreme brutality, commission before children, breach of trust) – Sentencing Guidelines – Manifestly excessive standard.
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17 March 2026 |
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Conviction upheld on circumstantial evidence after disregarding an unruled confession; sentence reduced for excessive custody and remand credit.
Criminal law – Murder – Circumstantial evidence; Confession evidence – voluntariness and trial-within-a-trial; Admission of statements; Sentencing – appellate review, mitigation, remand credit; Reduction of sentence for manifest excess.
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16 March 2026 |
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An appellate court may impose a fresh sentence when the original sentence is void for failing to credit pre-trial detention.
Criminal law – Sentence – appellate re-sentencing where trial court’s sentence is void for not crediting pre-trial detention – appellate powers under Judicature Act and Criminal Procedure Code – distinction between enhancement and fresh sentencing – procedural safeguards for enhancement inapplicable when original sentence is quashed.
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16 March 2026 |
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An appellate court upheld a 25-year sentence for aggravated defilement, finding it not manifestly excessive.
Criminal law – Aggravated defilement – Sentencing – Whether sentence manifestly excessive; Sentencing discretion – appellate review – Guideline 19 (30 years to death) – Mitigating and aggravating factors – Use of weapon – Consistency in sentencing.
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11 March 2026 |
