In a dramatic turn of events, the third witness in the ongoing trial of the alleged murder of Kampala businessman Henry Katanga on Wednesday July 10, contradicted his statements.
Under heavy cross-examination by defence lawyer MacDosman Kabega, Peter Owang, a police officer attached to Bugolobi Police Station, changed his statements in court.
Lead prosecutor Samali Wakooli had called Ogwang to testify against Ms Molly Katanga, accused of murdering her husband Henry Katanga.
Initially, Ogwang testified that he received a phone call from Otai, informing him of a suicide by shooting at the scene.
He also stated that Ms Patricia Kankwanzi - a co-accused who was present at the scene -, wanted to report the incident as an accident.
However, during cross-examination by defence lawyer Kabega, Ogwang contradicted his earlier statement, saying he didn't record Ms Kankwanzi's statement about reporting the incident as an accident in his initial statement.
Kabega pressed Ogwang to explain the discrepancy, and the witness admitted that he might have forgotten to record some details.
The defense lawyer then pointed out that Ogwang's statement, made two days after the incident, omitted crucial information, including Ms Martha Nkwanzi's presence at the scene.
The witness's changes in statements raised questions about the reliability of his testimony and the investigation.
The defense team pointed out these inconsistencies to build their argument that the witness was not credible. The prosecution, however, maintained that the witness's statements were genuine and that any discrepancies were minor.
The presiding judge, Isaac Muwata, allowed the witness's police statement to be admitted as defence exhibit D3, potentially weakening the prosecution's case.
The trial continued later on with prosecution witness number four, a relative of the accused.