A man who poured acid on his girlfriend has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Andrew Francis Obirai had earlier in 2018 been sentenced to 35 years for the murder of Dorothy Atim, a sales representative with Vision Group.
Obirai, while at Plot 3 Opera Road in Senior Quarters, in the then Soroti Municipality, with deliberate malice, poured acid which killed Atim.
However, Obirai appealed against the verdict, and on February 7th, 2023, the Court of Appeal Justices; Hellen Obura, Catherine Bamugemereire, and Christopher Madrama ordered for the retrial on grounds that the High Court trial proceeded without Assessors.
According to the Justices, the trial judge did not refer to the Assessors’ opinions before delivering his ruling, although their opinions did not bind him.
During the retrial, Atim’s mother Florence Elaborot, told the court how, in the early hours of September 8, 2013, at approximately 3:00 am, she was awakened by the agonizing screams of her daughter.
She said that Atim was rushed to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, and later transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital in critical condition where she later succumbed to injuries.
The prosecution led by Bagada Alex, Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, told the court when the two separated, Obirai resorted to stalking and intimidating Atim, leading to her death.
On Thursday, Justice Dr. Henry Peter Adonyo meted a 50-year imprisonment sentence to Obira.
“This verdict stands as a solemn reminder of the consequences of such reprehensible acts and serves as a testament to the pursuit of justice in our legal system,” Justice Adonyo said.
Despite being offered the services of a defense counsel at the State’s expense, the accused chose to exercise his constitutional right to represent himself.
English 