AMOO vs. THE STATE

JUDGMENT OF ANTERKYI J. The appellant was convicted on charges of (1) extortion, contrary to section 239 (1) of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29), and (2) obstructing a public officer, contrary to section 205 (a.) of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29). According to the story of the prosecution, the first prosecution witness (Maria Lagos), a petty trader living at Accra, was selling king size cigarettes “at the Beach Avenue and Knutsford” at about 10.30 a.m. on 1 June 1965 when the accused, an escort police constable, came and held her by the hand and challenged her to the effect that the cigarettes she was selling were contraband goods. When she denied them to be so, and the accused had put her under arrest, she started begging him. She followed him into a store, in which there was the fourth prosecution witness. The accused eventually made a demand from her for an amount of £G5 to enable him to drop the matter. As the first prosecution witness had no money on her, she wen...