High Court of Malawi - 2010

17 judgments
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Results. 17 judgments found.

17 judgments
December 2010
31 December 2010
Order 14A summary determination refused because disputed factual matters (offer, counter-offer, loan, salary) preclude deciding contract formation.
  • Contract formation — offer and acceptance — counter-offer vs mere request; Employment contract; Order 14A summary determination — not suitable where legal issues are interwoven with contested facts; Necessity of full trial for disputed factual matters.
23 December 2010
Prosecution failed to prove the penetration element of defilement beyond reasonable doubt; conviction quashed.
  • Criminal law — Defilement (s.138(1) Penal Code) — essential elements: age and penetration — burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt — corroboration and circumstantial evidence — admissibility and sufficiency of expert/medical evidence.
20 December 2010
October 2010
Registrar’s refusal to register a political party for manifesto language and regional membership was unlawful, unreasonable and ultra vires.
  • Constitutional law — political rights to form and join parties — administrative justice — duty to give reasons — judicial review of failure/refusal to register political parties — Wednesbury unreasonableness — ultra vires decision
18 October 2010
Press calls for regional discussion did not establish an unlawful purpose; accused had no case to answer and were acquitted.
  • Criminal law — unlawful society (s.64(2)(g)) — whether organisation formed to disturb public peace — freedom of expression and association — insufficiency of press releases to establish incitement — no case to answer
7 October 2010
6 October 2010
July 2010
Court confirmed convictions and sentence for housebreaking and theft after guilty pleas, emphasizing reformative sentencing considerations.
  • Criminal law — Housebreaking and theft — Splitting charges into separate counts — Guilty pleas — Confirmation of convictions and sentence — Sentencing considerations: age, prior offending, recovery of property, reform and prison congestion.
12 July 2010
Conviction for defilement confirmed; sentence increased to six years’ hard labour due to seriousness and lack of remorse.
  • Criminal law — Defilement — Confirmation of conviction — Sentencing — Enhancement of sentence for serious sexual offence against a child — Lack of remorse as aggravating factor — Youth of offender considered but outweighed.
12 July 2010
Religious or cult beliefs do not excuse lethal violence; all six accused convicted of murder.
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11 July 2010
Convictions confirmed where voluntary caution admissions and recovery of stolen property corroborated guilt.
  • Criminal law — Confirmation on review — Voluntary caution statements — Corroboration by recovery of stolen property — Accomplices leading police to accused's premises.
6 July 2010
Court confirmed convictions and sentences based on voluntary admissions and recovery of stolen property.
  • Criminal law — Confirmation on review — Voluntary admissions in caution statements — Recovery of stolen property as corroboration — Accomplice evidence leading police to suspects’ premises.
6 July 2010
May 2010
Court set aside disciplinary proceedings for failure to conduct mandatory inquiry and to afford legal representation to the respondent.
  • Discipline of legal practitioners — Originating summons procedure — Rules of the Supreme Court (Form 8 v
  • Form 10; acknowledgment of service; Order 28 timelines) — Evidential sufficiency of affidavits (Order 41 r.5) — Disciplinary Committee powers under s.37 of Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act — Application of Commissions of Inquiry Act (ss.9–13) — Right to legal representation during inquiry — Setting aside proceedings for procedural defects
12 May 2010
March 2010
Injunction refused because appeal does not stay execution, applicant failed to seek a stay and came to court with unclean hands.
  • Civil procedure — interlocutory injunction — stay pending appeal not automatic; equity — unclean hands; damages as adequate remedy; balance of convenience
4 March 2010
Whether a robbery committed while the perpetrators carried weapons constitutes 'armed robbery' and whether that charge was properly laid.
  • Robbery — armed robbery — offence committed while carrying dangerous weapon (panga) — accused entitled to precise description of charge — distinction between 'armed robbery' and 'aggravated robbery' — confirmation of conviction where stolen property identified and recovered
3 March 2010
February 2010
The court dismissed the applicant’s false imprisonment claim for insufficient evidence and ordered each party to bear own costs.
  • Tort — False imprisonment — Whether claimant was unlawfully detained while serving process — assessment of credibility and applicant admissions — evidence inconclusive; costs: each party to bear own costs; suggestion of mediation.
28 February 2010
Conviction for defilement of a minor confirmed and sentence increased due to respondent’s deliberate HIV‑positive status and aggravating conduct.
  • Criminal law — Confirmation of conviction — Sentence enhancement on confirmation; Defilement/indecent assault of a minor; HIV‑positive status of accused as aggravating factor; Medical examination of victims even after bathing.
28 February 2010
January 2010
The plaintiff's claims for breach, defamation and discrimination dismissed for failure to prove non-performance, publication, or discriminatory treatment.
  • Contract formation and scope — interpretation of contractual obligations regarding inter-branch vs. branch-to-van communication; breach for non-performance; defamation — requirement of publication; discrimination — burden to prove differential treatment.
26 January 2010