MASAKA- Court of Appeal Justices Hellen Obura, Christopher Gashirabake & Eva Luswata have concluded the hearing of 27 criminal appeals at Masaka High Court.
Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera flagged off the session on Monday, March 17th, 2025.
The justices completed 22 appeals and reserved 05 appeals for judgment, representing an 81% clearance rate within the session. Of the 22 concluded appeals, 13 were allowed, resulting in re-sentencing of the Appellants, 08 were dismissed, and one appeal abated.
In one of the dismissed appeals, a biological father unsuccessfully sought to overturn a sentence of LIFE IMPRISONMENT for defiling his underage daughter. The victim’s medical records indicated that she suffered multiple sexual assaults and strangulation in the course of the acts. The child is now deceased.
In a post-session feedback meeting, Mr. Simon Semalemba from ODPP thanked the Justices for the timely decisions. He noted that previous concerns regarding records of appeal had been managed through timely coordination between the Registry and the Office of ODPP.
Speaking on behalf of State Brief Advocates, Mr Sam Ssekyewa thanked the Justices for being patient. He noted that the session had exposed the need for “ training Advocates on the procedures of Appellate Courts” and framing grounds of appeal. He decried the delay in cause listing some appeals.
Mr Odokonyero Emmanuel, the Deputy O/C of Masaka’s central prison, notified the meeting that the session offered hope to the Appellants and made prison administration smooth.
The Resident Judge, Masaka High Court Circuit, Lawrence Tweyanze, vowed to emulate the justices on the speedy delivery of judgments.
The Justices of Appeal thanked all the actors for performing their respective tasks. Justice Eva Luswata guided Counsel on State Brief to continually handle the matters as though they were private briefs, emphasising the need for a critical review of the appeal records.
The head of the Panel, Lady Justice Hellen Obura, encouraged Advocates to follow court schedules. She noted that the plan to conclude all cases within the session had been constrained by late filing in some cases. She further appealed to Advocates to act within instructions given by the Appellants and present quality and tidy work.
Justice Obura thanked the resident judge and Deputy Registrar Masaka for cooperating with the Court of Appeal team and acknowledged the efforts of Magistrates( Research).
