HANSON MENSAH AND ANOTHER vs. COMMISSIONER OF POLICE [1963]DLSC17445

Date	1963-12-20
Suit No.	SUIT NO. BFS/0791/16
Citation No.	[1963]DLSC17445

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE ADUMUA-BOSSMAN

OLLENNU

BLAY JJ.S.C.

MENSAH

AMISSAH-AIDOO

D. F. ANNAN

[1963]DLSC17445
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="_Hlk161040248"></a><a name="_Hlk152146143"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">HANSON MENSAH
AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">(PLAINTIFFS)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">COMMISSIONER OF POLICE <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">(DEFENDANT)<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:
107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

SUIT NO. BFS/0791/16&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: 20TH
DECEMBER, 1963<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">MENSAH
FOR THE FIRST APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">AMISSAH-AIDOO
FOR THE SECOND APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">D.
F. ANNAN, SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY, FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">CORAM <o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE ADUMUA-BOSSMAN, OLLENNU AND
BLAY JJ.S.C.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF OLLENNU J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>Ollennu J.S.C. delivered the judgment of the
court.&nbsp; The two appellants were convicted by the Circuit Court, Attebubu,
Brong-Ahafo, of an alleged offence of cultivating Indian hemp contrary to
section 49 of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 1961,1 particulars of the alleged
offence were given as follows: [His lordship here read the particulars of the
offence as set out in the headnote and continued:] The appellants were
convicted and sentenced, each to ten years imprisonment with hard labour. They
appealed against the sentence to the High Court which dismissed the same
summarily saying: "I consider the offence against each appellant very
serious and in view of the evidence on record, even though each appellant had
no previous conviction, I consider the sentence imposed adequate and not
excessive." From that decision they each appealed to this court on a
number of grounds, only three of which were argued. These are:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;"(1) The whole trial and conviction is bad in
law because the written consent of the Attorney-General required by section 57
(5) of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 1961 (Act 64) was never obtained.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(2) The sentence of ten years was illegal because
section 49 of Act 64 under which the accused were charged dealing with
narcotics and the trial having been summary, the maximum sentence the court
could have imposed was twelve months.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;