Will Bombo Murder Suspect Survive Trial?

By Nagenjwa Sharon - Nbs.ug

April 30, 2013

Private Patrick Okot Odoch's survival chances seem to be weighing down as prosecution presents more witness to pin him.

The number of witnesses pinning the soldier has amounted to 17 while more are still being present.

Private Patrick Odoch Okot is charged with murder, attempted murder, robbery and misusing his gun, cases he is accused of committing on the 8th of march.

On 22 April 2013 witnesses took to the floor and accused the suspect of committing the said crimes, including Lukia Aluma who was kidnapped by the suspect on the fateful night.

On day two

Private Baluggala David lukwago a neighbour to one of the deceased, identified as sgt.Odule was among the state witnesses today. He narrated to court how he had seen the suspect private Okot trying to molest Odule's  12 year old daughter Chandiru on 6th of march  but  was putting a knickers.

 The neighbour who was alerted by the girls' sad and seek for help yelling, immediately responded to the girls' plight forcing the suspect to stop his act.

Private Lukwago further testified that private Odule  the father of the molested child reported the matter to police. But quarrels erupted thereafter until the fateful day of 8th at around midnight when he heard gun shots at the bar but on peeping out he saw private Okot standing and holding a gun, he called him once but he instead pointed the gun at him.

The second witnesses who took to the floor identified as cpl.Odong Paul constatine who claimed to be Okot's friend being some one who stays near their village in Oyam district gave his side of the story saying that the suspect called him on the 9th of march after the incidence, asking for some money for he had trouble and wanted to go to Congo, he said he immediately reported this to the intelligence office who welcomed his help.

Ibrahim Fazil who claimed to be a farmer was the 3rd witness for today and was brought in amidst drizzles which could not deter the people from listening to him, told court how he had ever hired the suspect to slash for him with his friends and on the day of the incidence which was 9th, he had some one knock on his door and identified himself as Okot claiming to have no where to sleep, but he rather told him the house was full and on peeping out he saw him carrying a gun prompting him to make an alarm and Okot fleeing, adding that he rather abandoned his house from that day to some where else.

On day three

Prosecution presented more witnesses to testify against the suspect Private Patrick Okot Odoch who allegedly committed the offence on 8th March. One of the witnesses, a survivor of the shooting gave a chilling testimony that she lay among the dead for sometime on the night of the killings.

The Court Martial chaired by Brig. Fred Tolit did its third day here in this makeshift court at the Bombo Health Centre Three grounds in Luwero district. The court is sitting a few metres from where a soldier Private Patrick Okot Odoch who is attached to Air Defence allegedly shot dead 10 people on the night of 8th March.

Prosecution presented its 11th witness Lt. Samuel Kakaire who was the orderly officer that night. He told court that Private Okot was one of the soldiers he assigned guard duty that day but on checking his area after hearing gunshots, Okot was nowhere to be seen, so he had to find a replacement.

But one of the survivors of the attack, Joyce Asilo who is an employee of Mama Jackie's bar where the people were killed, gave the most chilling testimony. She claimed that a uniformed Okot came into the bar a few minutes to midnight holding a gun which he drew at Sgt. Adule who had asked him why he wanted to kill him.

She added that a few minutes later, Okot shot Adule and then opened fire on others in the bar including her, injuring her left leg. But she lay among the dead until morning when police picked her and a young boy as they took the bodies to Bombo Heath Centre.

Another witness Friday Mudaawo told court he was called in to take over Okot's guarding post after he disappeared after the shootings. Okot was later arrested from Oyam district where he was in hiding. Yet another witness Godfrey Nshekanabo, who was Okot's neighbour, said on the night of 8th March, Okot returned home in bad mood. And that Okot explained that he had been falsely accused of molesting Sgt. Adule's daughter and he was going to take revenge.

Nshekanabo added that Okot spoke of how he was an ex-LRA rebel who could cause trouble. They then parted ways, only for his neighbor to alert him to the sound of guns shots and after about 25 minutes, someone opened Okot's door and took out household property. They suspected it was Okot fleeing.

On day Four

A doctor told court that Okot was in a perfect state of mental health on the day of the killings. This therefore means Okot was not under the influence and may have committed the crimes for which he is accused fully in charge of his faculties.

The 15th prosecution witness Dr. Emmanuel Niwamanya told the General Court Martial chaired by Brig. Fred Tolit that that he examined the multiple murder suspect Private Okot Odoch. This was immediately after Okot's arrest in Oyam district where he fled after the Bombo murders on the night of 8th March.

Dr. Niwamanya says Okot was found in a good mental and physical condition at the time 10 people were shot dead and he is the key suspect.

Another witness Dr. Sam Kalungi, a senior pathologist in forensic medicine at Mulago National Referral Hospital performed the post mortem on the 10 bodies.

The expert who preferred to testify in camera confirmed that all the victims died of bullet wounds, and also indicated that the suspect fired multiple bullets targeting vital organs like the intestines and lungs. Therefore, the victims had very slim chances of survival.

Prosecution witness number 17, Dr. Stanley Mawombe is an employee of Bombo General military hospital. On the fateful night, he received the survivors who included Joyce Asiyo, Sgt. Francis Ogugu and a young boy Akabaru Zule, all of who had bullet wounds. Sgt. Ogugu who was also in Mama Jackies' bar on that fateful night told court that he was shot at the lower buttock although he did not clearly see the assailant.

Day Five

A fourteen year old girl, Grace Chandiru, pinned the soldier of trying to rape her a day before the shooting where Okot allegedly murdered 10 people.

Grace chandiru who testified to court with request from the chairman not to be shown on camera, is daughter to sgt. Onesmus Adule and Mama Jackie the owner of the bar where the shootings happened.

She narrated to court how on the 6th day of march 2013, the suspect whom she identified in the dock as private Patrick okot, bumped into their house at around 9 pm where he found her lying on her bed, and tried to defile her by force.

She made an alarm and two neighbors came to her rescue. Okot fled into the darkness.

She reported the matter to her parents, who reported the case to a nearby police post. This was a day before the gruesome murder of the ten victims.

Another witness to appear was Lt. Odongkara Geoffrey, a ballistic expert working with the intelligence unit in Bombo barracks,who recovered okot's gun, an ak47, at nyimbwa, outside Bombo town two days after the incident.

 The witness told court that the gun was found to have been used to fire bullets in the past few days. It was also found to contain two unused bullets.

OC CID, bombo police station Constantine Tarasis also testified before court that they tap into Okot's phone calls that revealed his exact location, days after the incident.