<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation" hidden>[1973]DLCA2265</p> <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" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:center 3.25in left 329.25pt 396.75pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#548DD4;mso-themecolor:text2;mso-themetint: 153">BOATENG II <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:center 3.25in left 329.25pt 396.75pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#548DD4;mso-themecolor:text2;mso-themetint: 153">vs. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:center 3.25in left 329.25pt 396.75pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#548DD4;mso-themecolor:text2;mso-themetint: 153">THE REPUBLIC <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:center 3.25in left 329.25pt 396.75pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops: center 3.25in left 396.75pt"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> [1974] 1 GLR 214<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">DATE:</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">6 APRIL 1973.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 0in 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;tab-stops:48.0pt 5.75in; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 0in 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">H. P. SWANIKER (AFRIFA WITH HIM) FOR THE APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;tab-stops:48.0pt 5.75in; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 0in 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">S. E. ASAMOAH, SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY, FOR THE REPUBLIC.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 0in 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 0in 0in"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">AZU CRABBE C.J., KINGSLEY-NYINAH J.A. AND HAYFRON-BENJAMIN J.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">JUDGMENT OF AZU CRABBE C.J.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">Azu Crabbe C.J. delivered the judgment of the court. The appellant was convicted at the Criminal Session held in the High Court, Koforidua, on 3 March 1972, before Quashie-Sam J. and a jury, of the murder of one Osei Kwadjo, and was sentenced to death. He has appealed to this court alleging various grounds of misdirection by the learned trial judge in his summing-up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The appellant is the odikro of Asunafo village in the Akim Abuakwa Traditional Area. The deceased, who also lived at Asuboni in the Kwahu Traditional Area, farmed on land, which had, for four years previous, been the subject-matter of litigation between the appellant on the one hand, and the deceased and other Kwahu farmers on the other. On 26 January 1971, the sister, nephew and wife of the appellant were arrested by one of the labourers of the deceased on a part of the disputed land for allegedly stealing foodstuffs and were taken to the Asuboni Police Station and kept in custody until the next morning. At about 1 a.m. on 27 January 1971, the appellant led a hostile crowd of people to the police station and demanded the release of the three persons in custody. According to the constable in charge of the police station, Charles Kofi Denyoh, the followers of the appellant carried offensive weapons, such as cutlasses, daggers and cudgels. In fairness to the appellant, this witness said that he did not see the appellant carry anything at this time. The demand for the release of the three suspects was refused, and at about 7.15 a.m., when the appellant and his people were leaving the police station, Constable Charles Kofi Denyoh said he saw the appellant change into a smaller smock, studded with talismans, and he held in his hand a naked dagger. They left the police station, and as they marched towards the village of Asuboni, a gong-gong was continuously sounded. The deceased and his brother, Akwasi Osei alias Osei Koforidua, happened to be walking at this time along the street in the village of Asuboni. The circumstances leading to the death of the deceased were vividly described by Akwasi Osei alias Osei Koforidua in the following passage culled from his evidence:<o:p></o:p></span></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><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">“On 27 January 1971 in the morning I and Osei Kwadjo were going to a funeral at about 7.30 a.m. The funeral was in the same town Asuboni. We were going there together. Osei Kwadjo went to the lavatory—a public lavatory. I waited for him till he returned and we continued to the funeral. The town is of a lower and upper part. The lower part is towards Asunafo and the upper towards Nkawkaw. We were going from Asunafo part towards Nkawkaw part on a lorry road. As we were going, I saw people from the police station direction beating gong-gong. They were coming from the opposite direction towards us. Many were the accused and his followers. The accused was dressed in a smock with talismans and Hausa trousers. He wore a hat. I see the hat in court [marked Identification 1 witness identifies]. He was holding a dagger, two edged. Some of his people also had daggers. The gong-gong they were beating was the double type. We met them. We stood by or aside. The accused emerged from the people and said to my brother Osei Kwadjo, ‘Is that you? Today I have got you.’ My brother did not say anything. The accused stabbed my brother. My brother did not say anything. It was I who said, ‘Nana why?’ He did not reply, and did nothing. It was the accused’s brother Yaw Yeboah who said, ‘So what’ and he stabbed my hand. My brother and I started to run towards the police station to report. At that time the accused and Yeboah, his brother, were following us, chasing us. We came across Nana Atibiehene and Yaw Mireku and Boamah [Boamah and Mireku identified]. Yaw Mireku asked the accused, ‘Nana why do you want to kill somebody early morning like this on us here?’ The accused said, ‘What will you do’ and stabbed Mireku. Atibiehene gripped and held accused from behind. Yaw Yeboah was advancing towards Atibiehene so Atibiehene threw the accused against him. The accused fell but got up and ran away. At that time his people ran away with him. When Atibiehene threw the accused some of his people ran away but others looked on but ran away with the accused. At that time my brother had fallen behind a gutter and I was about to go to the police station. When the scuffle was happening between the Atibiehene and the accused we had stopped to watch. It was then that my brother fell down and I raised him. I found his intestines gushing out, so I tied him with a cloth and with the help of Yaw Mireku holding one side of him and I the other we took him to the police station. We made a report and my brother’s wife and a driver took him to hospital at Roman Hospital Nkawkaw while Mireku and I waited. We were given medical forms for the hospital which Mireku and I did. At the hospital the doctor told me my brother had died. Post mortem was held after I had identified him as my brother. When we were going to the funeral neither my brother nor I was armed. Atibiehene, Mireku and Boamah were not armed with anything eit</main>
