PC Wabwire faces death on conviction 

A Police Constable (PC), who was arrested for allegedly shooting to death a money lender of Asian origin in Kampala last week, was yesterday charged with murder,  a charge that could earn him the maximum sentence of death by hanging.
PC Ivan Wabwire, 30, was produced before Buganda Road Chief Magistrate, Ms Sarah Tusiime Bashaija, for plea taking in connection with the shooting of Uttam Bhandari.
Because murder is a capital offence, the charges were merely read out to Wabwire, before he was sent on remand at Luzira prison.

“This court has no jurisdiction to hear your case, so you will not be allowed to speak anything about the charge. In the circumstances, I am sending you on remand until June 7 for the mention of the case,” Ms Bashaija ruled.
Court also heard that the investigations are still ongoing, especially on the mental state of the accused.

“The prosecution would want to inform the court that in the due course, we shall try to make a formal application to court to allow us access to the accused person in prison for his mental state to be assessed,” Ms Joan Keko, the State Attorney, told court.
Prosecution led by Ms Keko and Mr Ivan Kyazze alleges that Wabwire, a resident of Central Police Station Barracks, on May 12 at Raja Chambers on Parliamentary Avenue in Kampala District with malice aforethought, killed Bhandari.
His charge comes a day after he appeared before the same court and made an extra judicial statement in which he confessed to have killed Bhandari .
An extra-judicial statement is a voluntary statement recorded by a suspect who has already confessed before the police to have committed the crime.

Confessions
Sources privy to the extra judicial statement told this publication that Wabwire confessed to committing the crime after he was given two contradicting loan statements.
Without revealing the amounts, Wabwire told the magistrate that the statements did not reflect the terms of the earlier loan he acquired.
Wabwire admitted that he went to the financial institution while armed and that he lost control after the documents angered him, thereby prompting him to shoot at Bhandari multiple times, killing him instantly.   
Sources further revealed that PC Wabwire told the magistrate about his history of mental illness, adding that  he was treated and he is now well. Wabwire was arrested three kilometres into Kenya in Busia County fleeing.