Sonam Norbu who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter concerning the death of 24-year-old Namgay Dolkar has appealed against the Thimphu District Court’s judgment passed last month. The appeal was made to the district court last week. The court found Sonam Norbu guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced him to nearly 15 years in prison.
The appeal was made on the grounds that the judgment passed by the district court last month was unreasonable and the Office of the Attorney General, OAG could not prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The appellant party argues that the OAG could not prove to the court the charges of either murder or voluntary manslaughter against Sonam Norbu.
Two days ago, the OAG appealed to the High Court, charging 39-year-old Sonam Norbu with murder. The OAG stated that the facts of the case, the convict’s conduct, and circumstantial evidence point to the presence of premeditated malice.
During the trial at the Thimphu District Court, OAG also charged Sonam Norbu with murder. However, the court convicted him of voluntary manslaughter, a second-degree felony, due to a lack of sufficient evidence to prove the murder charge.
The incident took place in August 2023 when the body of 24-year-old Namgay Dolkar was found almost half a kilometre downstream of Khariphu Bridge in Thimphu, a day after she went missing.
Police suspected foul play due to the presence of strangulation marks on the deceased’s neck and hands. Police arrested Sonam Norbu after he was found as the last person the deceased talked to over the phone leading up to the district court’s trial.
According to the District Court’s judgment, Sonam Norbu and the deceased had driven to Khariphu in South Thimphu, the location they frequently visited. During the trial, Sonam Norbu described an argument that escalated into a physical altercation, during which the deceased allegedly struck him. He claimed to have restrained her by placing his hands around her neck but released her once she supposedly “calmed down.
Sonam Norbu further stated that the deceased then exited the car, threatened to jump, and ultimately jumped off the bridge. In a state of panic, Sonam Norbu had allegedly fled the scene without alerting authorities and returned home to his wife.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Kipchu
