Pine murder: Ssebuwufu's judgment pushed to June 17

COURT       MURDER 

 

KAMPALA-  High Court judge Flavia Anglin Ssenoga has deferred the verdict in the murder case against city car dealer Muhammad Ssebuwufu to June 17.

Prosecution led by Alex Michael Ojok claims that Ssebuwufu and seven others killed Katusabe over a sh9m car debt.

 

Katusabe was allegedly tortured to death by the accused on October 21, 2015, at pine car bond on Lumumba Avenue in Kampala.

 

Court records indicate that Katusabe acquired a Toyota Premio registration number UAX 481H from Ssebuwufu at sh17m and remitted sh8m thereby remaining with a balance of sh9m debt with is said to have caused her murder.

 

Ssebuwufu is battling murder, kidnap with intent to murder and aggravated robbery charges together with Paul Tasingika, Shaban Odutu alias Golola, Philip Mirambe, Kayiza Godfrey, Stephen Lwanga, Yoweri Kitayimbwa, and Damaseni Ssentongo.

 

Initially, they were battling the charges together with former Kampala Central Police Station commander, Aaron Baguma but his charges were dropped at the commencement of the trial last year.

 

 

Recently, court assessors Rehema Babirye, Betty Bogere and Joseph Wasibi advised the judge to acquit all the accused persons noting that prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.

 

A court assessor is a layperson (not a lawyer) who is appointed by court to sit and listen to criminal cases at high court level and advise a trial judge on whether to convict or acquit an accused person basing on evidence submitted in court by the prosecution.

 

 

In his defence, Ssebuwufu contends that although he had sold a Toyota Premio registration number UAX 481H to the deceased with an outstanding a balance, he had already secured it through a cheque and that had no reason to hunt for her.

 

Tasingika says that he was hired by Sam Kiwanuka to pick Katusabe from Bwebajja in the company of police officers over a Toyota Prado.

 

 

The prosecution alleges that the accused and others still at large on October 21, 2015, Kidnapped Katusabe before beating her to death at pine car depot on Lumumba Avenue in Kampala over a sh9m debt.

 

They are also accused of robbing the deceased of her cell phone worth sh300,000.