Three people who killed Derrick Coggon, the former proprietor of 4turkeys’ pub in Entebbe town were on Thursday afternoon convicted to 35 years in prison. The convicts include Phionah Masika alias Fifi Indolo (deceased’s ex-wife), Paul Sentongo (businessman) and Alphonse Okot (deceased’s security guard).
The presiding Judge Dr. Justice Joseph Murangira told court that the trio was found guilty after prosecution adduced sufficient evidence through twelve witnesses whom majority of them pinned down the Convicts to having an upper hand in the death of the deceased.
The Judge told court that 0n 8, March, 2013 at Kiwafu Central zone in Entebbe Municipality, the trio with malice aforethought mercilessly killed Derrick Coggon, a British National as well as a retired soldier with the United Nations(UN).
The Judge noted that though recently court assessors gave a joint opinion asking court to acquit the convicts, court has discretion to evaluate evidence adduced by prosecution, which in this case pinned down the convicts thus assessors failed to evaluate prosecution evidence.
The Judge said that basing on evidence provided in court by the police lead investigator Richard Anvuku indicate that Fifi Indolo Masika one of the convicts had long misunderstandings with the deceased arising from conflict of property and that the deceased had complained a lot against her thus circumstantial evidence pins her in the murder of the deceased.
The judge also stated that since Fifi Masika and Paul Sentongo chose to keep quiet when tasked to defend themselves, it implied they participated in the murder of the deceased as they failed to give their defense in regard to participating in the deceased’s death.
Justice Murangira told court that there was coordination between Alphonse Okot one of the convicts and the attackers on grounds that when he heard the gun shots he decided to take cover instead of firing back to protect his boss who had already been shot in the Chest by the attackers. He added that in his defense Okot told court that he took 30 minutes to lock the deceased’s gate and opened after confirming that the attackers had fled away thus this links him to have coordinated with the assailants.
In his wisdom Justice Murangira ruled that though the convicts are first offenders, court can’t just leave them to go unpunished arguing that the offense is rampant and that perpetrators have continued to take the Law in their hand and that there is need for a deterrent sentence against the perpetrators before handing the convicts each 35years in prison.
The Judge further noted that court would have been so lenient to the convicts but because there was loss of human being whose family lost a bread winner, the convicts deserve a 35year-jail sentence to deter others from committing the same offense and to protect the people of Uganda from such heartless persons who expect to thrive by killing innocent people.
It be should recalled that recently Ronald Kibira one of the witnesses as well as a boat captain to the deceased told court that before the deceased was shot dead he had confided in him that he had separated with his wife Fina Masika on grounds that she had hooked up businessman Paul Sentongo whom the deceased saw as a threat to his life.
Brenda Adyero who has a kid with the deceased also testified in court that before the deceased was murdered he had told her that his ex-lover Fina Masika alias Fifi Indolo had threatened to kill him and that she wanted to share part of his wealth. She added that the death threats compelled the deceased to abandon his home in Kiwafu central zone and he rented a hotel in Kinyarwanda zone in Entebbe municipality where she resided with him as they feasted on each other.
On the other hand, Firmino Barangtaa , a retired officer with United Nations as well as a close pal to the deceased told court that at one point the deceased came to his home with knives saying Fina Masika one of the convicts had procured them and had threatened to kill him.
Richard Anvuku, the lead police investigator in the murder case recently testified in court that police investigations indicate that Paul Sentongo was not in good talking terms with the deceased after he suspected him to be in love with Fifi Masika Indolo, the deceased’s bonk mate. He added that basing on the phone print outs, Sentongo and Masika communicated on phone shortly after the deceased had been shot dead.
Regarding the security guard Alphonse Okot, Anvuku told court that the guard was not responsible because he never executed his duties to protect his boss and instead looked on as the killers shot his boss without firing back in air to scare away the killers who were armed with a pistol.
