Wakilii

Rex v Meope and Another (Cr. C. 65-1927.)

East African Court of Appeal · [1927] EACA 40 · 1927 Conviction Entered AI-generated summary ↓ Download Pin to watchlist Add to matter
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Type
Original criminal trial before a judge with assessors
Decision
Both accused convicted — second accused of rape, first accused as abettor

Observed later treatment

No later-treatment classification is recorded for this judgment.

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AI-generated summary. This summary was generated by AI from the full text of the judgment. It may contain errors or omissions—always read the source judgment before relying on it.

Holding

Held that a person physically incapable of committing rape himself may be convicted as an abettor where he assists another to commit the offence. The second accused, being over fourteen and having reached puberty, was convicted of rape. The first accused, a boy aged twelve to thirteen and physically incapable of committing rape, was convicted as an abettor for assisting his companion.

Outcome

Both accused convicted — second accused of rape, first accused as abettor

Facts

The two accused were charged with rape under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code. The second accused, Opiri s/o Osano, was over fourteen years of age and had reached puberty. The first accused, Opiri s/o Meope, was a boy aged between twelve and thirteen years. The court found that the second accused was physically capable of committing rape and did commit the offence. The first accused, though physically incapable of committing rape himself, assisted his companion in the commission of the offence.

Issues

  1. Whether a person who is himself physically incapable of committing rape may be convicted as an abettor to the offence.

Orders

  • Second accused Opiri s/o Osano convicted of rape.
  • First accused Opiri s/o Meope convicted as an abettor to rape.

Rules and key headnotes

Rape — Abetment — Liability of Person Physically Incapable of Committing the Offence
A person who is himself physically incapable of committing rape may nevertheless be convicted as an abettor to the offence where he assists another person to commit it.

Legislation cited (1)

  • Indian Penal Code s.376

Full judgment

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The original judgment as reported. Read the original PDF before relying on any passage.

Rex v Meope and Another (Cr. C. 65-1927.) [1927] EACA 40 (1 January 1927)
Source: this page presents Wakilii’s issue analysis and metadata for a publicly reported Ugandan judgment. Any AI-generated summary is marked as such. Judgment text is sourced from the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ulii.org). Wakilii is not affiliated with ULII.