The appellant was convicted in the Subordinate Court of the Third class at Mansa of being possession of property reasonably suspected to
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have been stolen. The conviction was based on his failure to give a reasonable account as to how he came to be in possession of the said suspected stolen property. He was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment and appealed against both conviction and sentence.
Held:
(i) A charge must be properly framed in accordance with the format in the first schedule of the Criminal Procedure Code so that the accused person may know in advance what the prosecution has set out to prove against him.
For the appellant: L. P. Mwanawasa, Mwanawasa.
For the respondent: F. Mwisiya, Senior State Advocate.
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