THE STATE vs. ADDAE [1961]DLSC5510

Date	1961-12-22
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1961]DLSC5510

VAN LARE JSC

SARKODEE-ADOO JSC

ADUMUA-BOSSMAN J.S.C.

P. D. ANIN FOR THE APPELLANT.

K. DUA SAKYI WITH HIM SARKODEE FOR THE RESPONDENT (THE STATE).

[1961]DLSC5510
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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:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">THE STATE <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:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">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:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">ADDAE<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">[1961] GLR 786&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;DATE:<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0"> 22ND DECEMBER, 1961.<o:p></o:p>

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

P.
D. ANIN FOR THE APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

K.
DUA SAKYI WITH HIM SARKODEE FOR THE RESPONDENT (THE STATE).<o:p></o:p>

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

VAN LARE JSC, SARKODEE-ADOO
JSC, ADUMUA-BOSSMAN J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF
SARKODEE-ADOO J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>Sarkodee-Adoo, J.S.C. delivered the judgment of the court. The
facts which are not seriously in dispute, briefly put, are that the deceased
was the wife of the appellant and they had been married for over seven years
before the day of the incident. The appellant was engaged as caretaker of a
cocoa farm owned by one Kwasi Addae with whom the appellant and the deceased
lived at the employer’s village at Awonsuano. According to the appellant he had
strange dreams about his son’s behaviour with the deceased and also had cause
to suspect the landlord of having affairs with the deceased due to their
association of which he did not approve. He therefore killed the deceased.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>At the trial after the plea of the appellant had been taken and he
pleaded not guilty, counsel for the defence applied that the prisoner be sent
to a psychiatrist for examination. In his objection to this application counsel
for the prosecution stated:<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">“On the medical report available there is no reason why the accused
should not be tried forthwith. The fact of insanity would be proved in due
course when defence opens, what is necessary is whether the accused is fit to
plead”.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Counsel for the defence in reply stated: “In this case a
psychiatrist is the only person to give evidence of the mental condition of the
accused”. Thereupon the learned trial judge upheld the objection and the trial
proceeded but it became apparent that the mental condition of the prisoner was
in issue.<o:p></o:p>According to Dr. Alexander Lamptey Tawiah, the medical officer who
performed a post mortem examination on the body of the deceased, death was due
to multiple external injuries, laceration of the liver, and shock; and a short
instrument like a knife could have been used in inflicting the wounds described
in his evidence.<o:p></o:p>Under cross-examination by counsel for the defence, he stated:<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">“I saw the accused at the Sunyani Prisons. He was under my
observation for about three weeks. I made a report on the accused at the end of
my observation. The report was on mental state of the accused. I am not a
psychiatrist and therefore I have not a specialised knowledge of psychiatry. By
virtue of the training of certain people in the medical profession they are
better qualified to observe accused and make a report on his mental condition.
There are such people in this country in Accra. I did not send the accused to
him because I thought on the psychiatry I know I could observe the accused and
give an opinion on his mental state. I agree that the opinion of a psychiatrist
would have been preferable. I was not told by the prison officials that the
accused was a talkative.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Dr. Edward Francis Bani Forster, the psychiatrist specialist in
charge of the Mental Hospital, Accra, was called for the defence, and the
substance of his evidence was that the prisoner was suffering from a disease of
the mind. Upon examination of the prisoner, he foun</main>