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High Court of Solomon Islands |
HIGH COURT OF SOLOMON ISLANDS
Criminal Case No. 18 of 1998
R
v
ELLISON ORINASIKWA
High Court of Solomon Islands
Before: Muria, CJ.
Criminal Case No. 18 of 1998
Hearing: 25 January 1999
Judgment: 24 March 19pan>
R B. Talasasa for Crown
D. Hou for Accused (MURIA, CJ): The accused has been charged with the crime of murder contrary to section 193 (now section 200) of the Penal Code. He pleaded Not Guilty to the charge and as it is the case, in all criminal trials, it is for the prosecution to establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
It is not in issue that the accused did, in fact, kill the deceased byed by shooting him with arrows as well cutting him with a bush knife. The defence raised is that of provocation and it is for the prosecution to exclude that defence beyond any reasonable doubt. What is in question, therefore, is, did the accused kill the deceased under provocation? The prosecution contends that the evidence does not support the defence of provocation in this case and that it has been excluded by the prosecution beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Issues
It is clear that the accuset the deceased with arrows, three of which landed on d on the deceased's body. The accused also cut the deceased on the hand, leg, back and neck. The issues arising, therefore, are:
1  &nbssp; < Has the prosecutionedroved beyond a reasonablet the requisite specific
& intent to murder the deceased, Jimmy Geniamoe?
lass=ormalle="m-left0pt; margin-top: 1;p: 1; marg margin-boin-bottom:ttom: 1">& 1">2man">. Is there any evidence of provocation before the Court?
3. n lpag="Eng="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman"> Has the prosecution excluded beyond a reasonable the defence of
&nbbsp;& sp;
provocation in this case?
The Facts not in Dispute. On the evidence before the Court, I find the following facts not disputed:
1. On the night of 6 October 1997, the deceased (Jimmy Geniamoe) attacked  p;&nbbsp;&
and brutally cut one Meke to de/span &nnbsp; c
2. &nn"> & < Meke was buried on the morning of 8 October 1997 ika Ve.
3. In the course of Meke's burial, a thning was by those &nbbsp;& &nsp; sp; < present at the burial.
4. span lang="Eng="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman"> The accused was present at the burial of Meke who was his uncle (In
5. Having heard the shout. The accused went, while the burial was still in &nnsp;&&nsp;;&nspp;&nssp; sp; &nbssp;&nnbsp; sp;
process, to to his house and took his knife and bowd bow and and arrows. He went to  p; sp; where the shouting came from.
6.
He recognised the shouting as being made b deceJimmyan> s Geniamoe.
7. /span The accused did in fact come upon the deceased, Jimmy Geniamoe, for he
met him on the road where they fought.
8. In the course of the fight, the deceaas unssful in striking the accused with his bush knife. The deceased turned and ran away. The &nbs> &nbp; &nnbsp;;&nbp; &nsp; &nnbp;& p; &bsp; &nbs accused then shot his first arrow at the deceaThe alande ;&nbssp;&n penetrated ihe ded's back. While still running away, the accused &nbbsp;&nbp; &nsp;&nbs; shot his second arrow which again landed and penetrated into the deceased's back. Agai accused shot at the deceased with his third ;&nbssp;&nbs;&nbs; p; arrow which struck into the deceased's leg. In an attempt to climb onto a span> stylnt-size-size: 12.: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman">&nn"> & &bsp; ; &nb stone, the deceased fell, at which time, accuaughtith hd struck him with the bush knife cutting him on the hand, then on the leg, then &nbbsp;& sp; classNormayle="margin-left: 7ft: 72.0pt2.0pt; mar; margin-tgin-top: 1op: 1; margin-bottom: 1">  p;&nbbsp;&nsp; &nsp; knowledge is accompanied by indifference wr dea class="MsoNormal" style="mar="margin-lgin-left: 72.0pt; margin-top: 1; margin-boin-bottom:ttom: 1"> &nnsp;& sp;on his back and finally a vicious on one at the back of hik. Thpan> p;deceased died as a result of the injuries sustained.
Facts as Found by the Co/span>
In the main, the facts of this case are not disputethe defence. The accu accused likewise is mainly relying on the defence of provocation. But before I venture to consider the defence raised, I feel it is also worth noting some of the other facts which may not be as conclusively undisputed as those set out above.
The defence case is that it immy Geniamore (deceased) wed) who was heard shouting while the accused and his relatives were conducting the burial of Meke It would appear that the prosecution, although offering no evidence to show otherwise, was suggesting that accused did not see who was actually shouting and that he only assumed that it was Jimmy Geniamoe (deceased).
The evidence before the Court supports the defence position that it was the deceased who shouted. The accused recognised that it was the deceased who shouted and that he actually met the deceased when he went after him. The evidence from the other prosecution witnesses also supports that. On the evidence I find that it was the deceased, Jimmy Geniamoe who was shouting, while the people of Osika were grieving and burying Meke their dead relative, the late Meke
There is also the sligscrepancy in the number of wounds sustained by the dehe deceased on his body. The Medical Report showed that there were two(2) arrow (steel Rod) wounds found on the deceased's body. One was at his back and the other was at his right cuff muscles. The Report also mentioned our (4) knife wounds to the body of the deceased. These were found at the right elbow joint, right cuff muscles, right side of the face and left foot. Two (2) other wounds were found on the deceased's body and which were described by the doctor as probably axe wounds or tip of the knife wounds which were seemingly blunt. Altogether there were eight (8) wounds mentioned by the Doctor in his Report and from the description of the wounds given by the Doctor, they can only be described as vicious.
n contrast the evidence from the accused mentioned three aree arrow wounds and four knife wounds, a total of seven (7) wounds. There is no mention by the accused of the wound to the right side of the deceased's face. However, photograph "H" in Exhibit 3 clearly shows the severe wound to the right side of the deceased's face. The wound was confirmed by the Doctor.
ass="MsoNoMsoNormal" style="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1"> I find that on the evidence the deceased rec eight (8) wounds to his is body. They were caused by the accused through the use of arrows (steel rod arrows) and knife.
Proof of the requisite intent
lass="MsoNormal" style="mar="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1"> lass="MsoNoMsoNormal" style="margin-top: 1; margin-bottom: 1"> The accused admitted that he caused the death of the deceased but he has pleaded not guilty, raising the defence of provocation. This being so, the prosecution must prove firstly, the necessary intent required in a charge of murder and -secondly, exclude the defence raised.
The specific intent to be proved in murder is that the killing musg must be done with malice aforethought. What constitutes malice aforethought is set out in section 202 (formerly s.195) of the Penal Code which provides:
"202. Malice aforethoughtbe expressed or implied andd and express malice shall be deemed to be established by evidence proving either of the following states of mind preceding or co-existing with the act or omission by which death is caused, and it may exist where that act is unpremeditated-
(a) an intention to cause the death of or grievous bodily harm to any ass="rmal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; margimargin-topn-top: 1; : 1; margin-bottom: 1"> & p;&nssp;&nsp; sp; person, whether such person is the person acy kilr not/span
(b) knowledge tha act whit which caused death will probably cause the
& p; &nsp; &nsp; death of, or grievous bodily harm to, some person whether such ass="rmal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-top: 1; : 1; margimargin-botn-bottom: 1">  p;&nssp; person is the person actually killed or not, although
grievous bodily harm is caor no by a thatay noan>