ABUDULAI MOHAMMED vs. THE REPUBLIC [1971]DLHC2087

Date	1971-01-15
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1971]DLHC2087

EDWARD WIREDU J.

THE APPELLANT IN PERSON.

A. A. FORSTER STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1971]DLHC2087
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ABUDULAI MOHAMMED <o:p></o:p>vs. <o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC <o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, CAPE
COAST]<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;[1971] 1 GLR 191<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:
15 JANUARY 1971.<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">

THE
APPELLANT IN PERSON.<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">

EDWARD WIREDU J.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF EDWARD WIREDU J.<o:p></o:p>This
appeal involves considerations of (a) the irregular and wrong admission into
the proceedings of matters relating to the previous criminal conduct and
character of the appellant; (b) the failure of the trial magistrate in making
any findings on the primary issues joined between the appellant and the
respondent and lastly (c) the legal position where the accused has been charged
under a section which creates a lesser offence when the evidence adduced by the
prosecution supports an offence of a higher degree under another section. See
section 154 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1960 (Act 30).<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
appellant in this case was tried and convicted in the District Court Grade II
at Ofuase on 14 May 1970 of the offence of threatening contrary to section 74
of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29), and was sentenced to a term of twelve
months’ imprisonment with hard labour against which conviction and sentence he
has appealed to this court. Although the appeal itself is straightforward and
far from any complexity, it raises a number of interesting points for
consideration as a result of which on 18 December 1960 when the appeal was
heard, I allowed the appeal, quashed the conviction and set aside the sentence
of the trial court and acquitted and discharged the accused with the intimation
to give reasons later which I now proceed to do.<o:p></o:p>At the
hearing of the appeal, I called on the respondent to support the conviction and
directed the learned state attorney’s attention to the three points raised for
consideration in this appeal. Mr. Forster, rightly in my view, declined to
support the conviction.<o:p></o:p>In order
to appreciate therefore the force behind these points it will be necessary to
recite in a nutshell the prosecution’s case as presented against the appellant
which was as follows: The appellant, who describes himself as a farmer of
Kotokuom, is alleged to have approached the complainant in this case on or
about 5 May 1970 and demanded the refund of an amount of N¢4.00 which,
according to the appellant, the complainant demanded as a fee for an invitation
by the appellant to have sexual intercourse with her. When the complainant
failed to honour this invitation and denied having taken any said sum or any sum
at all from the appellant, he threatened to kill her. According to the
prosecution this threat by the appellant to kill the complainant was repeated
on other occasions with such seriousness that one of the prosecution witnesses
took the complainant to his house where he offered his room to her to sleep for
the night with a view to reporting the matter to the police the following
morning and which the complainant did as advised. The appellant of course
denied this threat and joined issue with the prosecution on this crucial point.
After the evidence of the defence the prosecution had this to say before the
judgment:<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;“By prosecution – before judgment is
pronounced I beg to inform the court that the accused is known to the police
for having the following convictions: <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)
1967—assaulted P. &amp; T. workers at Kotokuom and was fined N¢60.00 or three
months’ imprisonment with hard labour, <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b) 1968—assaulted teacher Ababio at
Kotokuom and was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment with hard labour, (3)
1969—assaulted Ama Kom and caused damage to her things and was sentenced to six
months’ imprisonment with hard labour 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">(4)
1970-caused harm to police Inspector Fynn and police constable Asante and was
s</main>