KILIMANJARO: Woman pleads guilty to killing infant daughter

Written by PETER TEMBA in Moshi

A WOMAN identified as Julieth Omary (33) has been sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty of killing her infant daughter, Neema Zebedayo.

Presenting memorandum of facts before Justice Moses Nzuma, State Attorney, Ms Tamari Mndeme said the crime was committed on July 3, 2009 at Sanya Kideko area in Siha district, Kilimanjaro region.He said on the fateful day, the accused strangulated to death the deceased and abandoned the body along Sanya River. 

Ms Mndeme said nine days later the accused met the deceased's father and told him that she and her daughter were admitted at Kibong'oto Hospital and that the infant died on July 3, 2009 and had been buried at the hospital.The deceased's father became suspicious and reported the matter to Sanya police station. After her arrest she admitted in both her caution and extrajudicial statements to have killed the deceased. 

She took the police detectives to the scene of the crime where they found the decomposed body of the infant and thus the cause of the child's death was difficult to establish.In mitigation, defence lawyer, Mr David Shilatu submitted that his client was a first offender who had already spent three years behind bars, adding that her plea of guilt demonstrated that she was remorseful and contrite of what had transpired. 

He also prayed to the court to release his client on health grounds, as she is an AIDS patient and that by pleading guilty she saved the government both time and money of going to full trial.However, Justice Nzuna said the three-month prison sentence will serve as reformatory to the convict for the heinous crime she had committed. 

Meanwhile, the High Court of Tanzania, Moshi Registry, began its criminal  sessions   during which 25 cases were lined up for plea-taking  and preliminary hearing while two cases are for trial. According to the list released to the 'Daily News; pleas for 30 suspects will be taken and thereafter preliminary hearing will be conducted from yesterday up to the end of this month.

Full murder trial sessions will be conducted for six days from November 1 to 6 and three days later judgments will be delivered by the presiding judge, Justice Moses Nzuna.Of the 25 cases lined up for plea-taking and preliminary hearing, 13 are murder cases, 3 manslaughter cases, 2 infanticides and one attempted murder case, while those set for full trial, two are murder cases implicating two suspects. 

During the full trial of murder cases, the prosecution will produce 16 witnesses while two will testify for the defence. 

Source: Daily News (24/10/2012): http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/10813-woman-pleads-guilty-of-infanticide