AKRONG AND ANOTHER vs. THE REPUBLIC [1972]DLHC2192

Date	1972-07-05
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1972]DLHC2192

ABOAGYE J.

J. C. ARMAH FOR THE APPLICANTS.

H. A. HAYFRON-BENJAMIN SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY (MRS. R. NKOUM ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY WITH HIM) FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1972]DLHC2192
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AKRONG AND ANOTHER <o:p></o:p>vs. <o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[HIGH COURT, 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;[1972] 2 GLR 244<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

DATE:
5 JULY 1972.<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">

J. C. ARMAH FOR THE APPLICANTS.<o:p></o:p>

H. A. HAYFRON-BENJAMIN, SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY
(MRS. R. NKOUM, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY, WITH HIM), 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">

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

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF ABOAGYE J.<o:p></o:p>On 20
June 1972, the applicants were convicted by the District Court Grade I, Korle
Gonno, of the offence of assault and each of them was sentenced to a term of
four months’ imprisonment with hard labour. The next day 21 June 1972, they
filed notices of appeal in this court against their conviction. Their grounds
of appeal are:<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) That
the conviction was wrong having regard to the evidence. <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">(2) That
the magistrate was prejudiced in convicting the accused. <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) That
the charge was not proved by the prosecution. <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) That
the magistrate having found that the accused were provoked was wrong in
convicting them. Other grounds to be filed.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Pending
the hearing and determination of the appeal the applicants have applied to this
court under section 332 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1960 (Act 30), for
bail on the ground that they have every hope of succeeding in the appeal but
having regard to the shortness of the sentence it is possible that the
proceedings might not be ready before the expiration of the term.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>At the
hearing of the application, learned counsel for the applicants argued that it
would take some time to get the necessary record of the proceedings prepared
and since the legal vacation starts at the end of this month (July 1972) it is
most unlikely that the appeal will be heard before next October, by which time
the applicants would have served the whole or a substantial portion of their
sentence.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In
opposing the application Mr. Hayfron-Benjamin, counsel for the Republic, argued
that the conviction of the applicants is presumed to be right and that since on
the authority of State v. Halm, Court of Appeal, 27 July 1967, unreported, once
there is no copy of the proceedings before this court to enable me to say
whether or not the appeal by the applicants has any chance of success, the
application for bail must be refused. Learned attorney argued further that the
fact that a sentence is short and that it might be served before an appeal is
heard cannot by itself be a ground for allowing an application for bail pending
the determination of the appeal. That fact, he continued, must be coupled with
the fact that the appeal has a reasonable chance of success. In support of this
submission counsel quoted a passage from the ruling of the Court of Appeal in
the Halm case (supra) delivered by Akufo-Addo C.J. (as he then was).<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>