ATTO-MENSAH vs. THE REPUBLIC [1967]DLHC1458

Date	1967-10-02
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1967]DLHC1458

ARCHER J

K. A. SARPONG FOR THE APPELLANT.

ADJETEY (WITH HIM AMUI) FOR THE REPUBLIC.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1967]DLHC1458</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0">ATTO-MENSAH</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[HIGH COURT, CAPE COAST]</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[1967]
GLR 562</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;">&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;</span><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">DATE:</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Times, serif;">2 OCTOBER 1967.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">K. A. SARPONG FOR THE APPELLANT.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">ADJETEY (WITH HIM AMUI) FOR
THE REPUBLIC.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">CORAM:</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">ARCHER J<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;ARCHER J.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The appellant was convicted by the Circuit Court, Cape Coast, on
two counts of defaming the National Liberation Council contrary to section 183A
of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29), and was sentenced to three years’
imprisonment with hard labour on each count. He has appealed against both the
conviction and the sentence and his learned counsel Mr. Sarpong, with leave of
court argued the additional grounds of appeal in conjunction with the ground of
appeal relating to sentence.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Mr. Sarpong’s first ground was that the trial circuit judge
wrongly overruled the submission of no case made at the close of the case for
the prosecution. His main quarrel under this ground was with the construction
of section 183A of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29), (inserted by section 1 of
the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 1961 (Act 82), and as amended by the
National Liberation Council (Proclamation) (Amendment) (No. 2) Decree, 1966
(N.L.C.D. 104)), which reads:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">“Any
person who with intent to bring the National Liberation Council into hatred,
ridicule or contempt publishes any defamatory or insulting matter whether by
writing, print, word of mouth or in any other manner whatsoever concerning the
National Liberation Council commits an offence and shall be liable on summary
conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds or to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding three years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; f</main>