BOOHENE vs. OFEI [1959]DLHC1996

Date	1959-03-09
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1959]DLHC1996

OLLENNU J.

PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT IN PERSON.

NO APPEARANCE FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1959]DLHC1996
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Times;
mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#548DD4;mso-themecolor:text2;mso-themetint:
153">BOOHENE <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Times;
mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#548DD4;mso-themecolor:text2;mso-themetint:
153">vs. <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Times;
mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#548DD4;mso-themecolor:text2;mso-themetint:
153">OFEI<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[HIGH COURT (LANDS DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[1959] GLR 101<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

DATE:
9TH MARCH, 1959.<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT
IN PERSON.<o:p></o:p>

NO
APPEARANCE FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

OLLENNU J.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF OLLENNU J.<o:p></o:p>The
proceedings in this case show that prior, to the institution of the suit, there
had been litigation between the. appellant on the one hand, and the respondent
and others on the other hand. The judgment in the last of these suits was
admitted in evidence in the present proceedings, and marked Exhibit “B”; it was
delivered by the Akwapim Native Court (Grade “A”) on the 17th January, 1956.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The case
of the appellant is that the respondent has been trespassing on his portion of
the family land since the date of that judgment. The case of the respondent is
that he has not committed any further trespass on the portion of the family
land which is in the possession of the appellant. The respondent contended that
it was in respect of the same acts which resulted in the judgment (Exhibit “B”)
that the appellant instituted the present action, not in respect of any fresh
entry. His plea in substance, therefore, is that the matter is res judicata.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
native trial-Court, after hearing evidence, inspected the land, and came to the
conclusion that the respondent had taken advantage of the absence of a clearly
demarcated boundary between his farm and that of the appellant. They accepted
the appellant’s evidence that he had fenced his land before the last suit
(which in fact arose precisely because respondent and others had destroyed the
fence), and it was upon that previously fenced land that the respondent had now
committed a further trespass.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
Native Court did not record any report of what they saw at the inspection; they
merely stated in their judgment that they were satisfied from what they saw at
the inspection that the respondent had committed the trespass as alleged by the
appellant. In other words, they believed the evidence of the appellant and
rejected that of the respondent.<o:p></o:p>On
appeal, the Native Appeal Court of Akwapim, at Akropong, reversed the findings
of the trial Native Court “B” on the grounds that<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(1) there
was no evidence of fresh trespass committed by the respondent after the
judgment of the17th January, 1956;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">&nbsp;(2) the native trial-Court had failed to
include in the proceedings a report of their inspection; and<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(3) they
believed the respondent’s evidence that he did not commit any further acts of
trespass after the judgment of the 17th January, 1956.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>