COMFORT AND ANOTHER vs. THE REPUBLIC [1974]DLHC11121

Date	1974-03-22
Suit No.	[1974] 2 GLR 1
Citation No.	[1974]DLHC11121

OSEI-HWERE J.

DR.OHENE-DJAN FOR THE APPELLANTS.

OSEI FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1974]DLHC11121
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COMFORT AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>

vs.<o:p></o:p>

THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>

[HIGH COURT,
SUNYANI]<o:p></o:p>

[1974] 2 GLR 1&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;&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;DATE: 22 MARCH 1974<o:p></o:p>

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<h2 style="margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></h2>

DR.OHENE-DJAN FOR THE APPELLANTS. <o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;
line-height:151%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">OSEI FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

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CORAM:<o:p></o:p>

OSEI-HWERE J.<o:p></o:p>

<h2 align="center" style="margin-left:0cm;text-align:center;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 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT OF OSEI-HWERE J.<o:p></o:p></h2>

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On 8
March 1974 I allowed this appeal and set aside the conviction and sentence of
the appellants and substituted an
acquittal and discharge and ordered that the fines imposed if paid should be
refunded forthwith to the appellants.
I reserved my reasons which I now proceed to give. The first and second appellants were jointly charged in count 1
for assaulting one Peter Adjei and the first appellant alone was charged in count 2 for assaulting one
Abena Frema. The prosecution’s case, in a nutshell, disclosed that the complainants, Peter Adjei and Abena
Frema (the first and second prosecution witnesses respectively) had attended a spiritualist meeting which
the first appellant had conducted at her house to exorcise evil spirits and that in the course of the
meeting the first appellant, who is acknowledged by the group as a prophetess and was therefore
the chief actress
in the drama, had hit the head of Abena Frema several
times with a stick in her effort to exorcise Abena Frema of her evil
spirit. The first prosecution witness, Peter
Adjei, went and held the stick and the second appellant hit him on the chest
and first appellant hit him on the head.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

The
appellants denied the charges. The evidence of the first appellant showed that
she had no knowledge of what happened
that particular night of the alleged assault. It is also evident from her
testimony that when she conducts her
prayer meetings she at times falls into a trance when she does not realize what
she does or says. The second
appellant also relied on his statement to the police. In that statement he said
that he was rather the victim of an
unprovoked attack from the first prosecution witness Peter Adjei. The statements of both the accused were forwarded together
with the record of proceedings. The first appellant’s statement to the police
supported what she said in the box that when she is filled with the “spirit” at her prayer meetings she does
not realize what she does. Two witnesses were called for the defence other than the appellants and they
supported the defence contention that the first prosecution witness rather assaulted the appellants.
After hearing the evidence from both sides the trial magistrate convicted and sentenced the appellants to
a fine of “¢20.00 each or two months’ imprisonment with hard labour
each.” It is against their conviction and sentence that
this appeal is brought.<o:p></o:p>

There were two grounds
of appeal filed on the appellants’ behalf
viz.:<o:p></o:p>

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