Turinawe pinned in assault and common nuisance case

COURT

A senior police officer, Ivan Ndahura has told the court that Ingrid Turinawe insulted over four police officers.

Testifying before Stella Amabilis, the Buganda Road Court Grade One Senior Magistrate, Ndahura attested that Turinawe watered and hit police officers with water bottles.

Turinawe, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Women's League chairperson, is charged with two counts of common nuisance and assaulting a police officer.

The offences contravene section 160 (I) and 238 (b) of the Penal Code Act.

On conviction, Turinawe will be liable to imprisonment for five years on assault and one year for common nuisance, respectively.

Ndahura, the officer in charge of operations at the Central Police Station (CPS) in Kampala testified that the accused caused a lot of commotion at CPS for she made noise and poured water on every police officer who came close to her.

According to Nduhura, Turinawe had gone to CPS to visit the suspected magistrate attackers who were in confinement for allegedly attacking Grade One Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu during the 18 months jail sentence of Dr Stella Nyanzi on August 2.

"Turinawe poured water on the detective called Alunyu. As I came closer; she continued pouring water onto whoever was at the reception including me.

It is at that time that I ordered a female police officer to arrest her and charged her with public nuisance," Ndahura said.

Erias Lukwago defending his client, Ingrid Turinawe in the dock

 He added that the accused did all that making noise and shouting, something that caused turmoil at the entire station.

"She shouted that, why are you stopping me from seeing my suspects, thus throwing bottles to police officers," he added.

The witness also wondered why Turinawe was assaulting officers yet the previous night before the incidence, her and other FDC delegates at around 8:00 pm were allowed to bring supper to the suspects who were in cells, yet it was beyond the visiting hours.

The official hour of visiting suspects in police cells is 11:00 am-1:00 pm for the afternoon and 5:00 pm-6:00 pm for evening hours.

"Imagine, we liaised with her as a leader, a respectful person and allowed her to see and give supper to the suspects though it was beyond time and we had already fed them.

But at my surprise, the same lady comes back the following day, shouts at us, assaults and even injures a police detective," he said.

The accused lawyers Erias Lukwago and Isaac Ssemakadde told court that their client and the alleged delegates were never allowed to see the said suspects and neither accessed CPS on that fateful day.

This prompted the trial magistrate to adjourn the case for further hearing.

"I adjourn this case to November 26, 2019, and two witnesses will testify then. The accused bail is extended," Amabilis ruled.

The prosecution alleges that on August 4, 2019, at Central Police Station (CPS) Kampala in the central division, Turinawe did an act that caused annoyance or inconvenienced the public in the exercise of her leading to the conclusion that she was a common nuisance.

The accused also assaulted detective-sergeant Patrick Alunyu thereby occasioning him to actual bodily harm.