Sexual offences dominate appeals criminal session

The Court of Appeal is set to kick off a criminal appeals session in Masaka this morning, with a total of 41 appeals arising from High Court judgments, to be handled. 
Of the 41 appeals, 22 are appeals against the conviction of aggravated defilement, 14 for murder, three are for aggravated robbery and one against rape.  
In one of the appeals, the State is seeking to overturn the acquittal of four men on the charges of murder while six appellants want the court to quash life sentences handed to them by the High Court.

Justices Cheborion Barishaki, Stephen Musota and Muzamiru Kibeedi will be hearing the matters during the session for a period of about one month and return to Kampala to embark on judgment writing.
Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera will officially open the session and lead the panel of justices to Masaka government prison where the appellants have been transferred for sensitisation on how the session will run.
The registrar in the Court of Appeal, Ms Susan Kanyange, said the scientific session will be conducted via video conferencing. 

“The video conferencing facility has been set up at Masaka court to provide a direct video link between the court and the prisons where the appellants will be following proceedings from,” she said.
Video conferencing enables real-time video, audio and data communication and transmission.
Some of the matters cause-listed are 2010 and 2011 appeals. 
This, the registrar explains, is one of the efforts by the court to lessen the huge case backlog.
Between January and March this year, the court delivered 273 judgments. 

Later this month, there will be other sessions of civil appeals and constitution petition appeals to be handled. 
Ms Kanyange said all these sessions are part of the larger year-long work plan that has been adopted by the Court of Appeal to improve service delivery.