Court of Appeal has reduced the 40-year jail term sentence handed to Pine Car Bond Proprietor Muhammad Sebuufu to 18 years, one month, and nine days.
In 2019, Sebuufu and six others were sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of Betty Dona Katushabe.
A panel of three Court of Appeal Justices that include; Justice Fredrick Egonda-Ntende, Catherine Bamugemereire, and Christopher Izama Madrama ruled in agreement that the 40-year sentence was harsh.
According to the judges, after doing a careful re-evaluation of the evidence that was presented on-court record, they have come to a conclusion that Sebuufu was never at all mentioned by 26 witnesses of the prosecution to have participated in the murder of Katusabe.
But the same Judges maintained their conviction and subsequent sentences on the offense of murder saying that there was overwhelming circumstantial evidence to the effect that Ssebuwufu and colleagues participated in the assault of Katusabe which led to her death.
Sebuufu and six others were found guilty of the murder, kidnap, and aggregated robbery. The court said that the group unlawfully picked Katushabe from Bwebajja over a loan of Shs9m before torturing her, which eventually led to her death.