Pine car murder: Trial starts today
Left-Right: Damaseni Ssentongo, Aaron Baguma and Yoweri Kitayimba in the dock at Buganda Road Court in Kampala in September 2016. FILE PHOTO
KAMPALA. The High Court will this morning start hearing the murder case against Kampala car dealer Mr Muhammed Ssebuwufu and others who are accused of killing a woman Betty Donah Katusabe.
The case file initially had former police commander of Kampala Central Police Station, Mr Aaron Baguma but at the latest court appearance last month, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mike Chibita, dropped the murder charges against him alone.
The case file is now left with eight accused people including Mr Muhammed Ssebuwufu, the principal suspect and owner of Pine Car Bond where the murder was committed about two years ago.
They are charged with murder, aggravated robbery and kidnap with intent to murder. Katusabe was killed by beating for allegedly failing to clear a Shs9m debt on a car she had bought from Mr Ssebuwufu’s car depot, a stone throw away from Kampala Central Police Station where Baguma was commander at the time.
According to Ms Annet Kobusingye, a lawyer for the deceased’s family, who attended the meeting with the DPP shortly after murder charges against Baguma had been dropped, said the chief government prosecutor said they intended to turn the policeman into a state witness.
On the same day he dropped murder charges against Baguma, the DPP told Daily Monitor that said he had spoken to the family of the deceased and they left having understood why he took that decision.
Mr Baguma had been held criminally liable for failing to protect human life as per his obligation as a police officer when he looked away after the deceased Katusabe pleaded with him to rescue her from her tormentors who killed her a few hours later.
