<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation" hidden>[1979]DLHC1054</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;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; 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:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#8DB3E2;mso-themecolor:text2; mso-themetint:102">DABLA AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; 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:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#8DB3E2;mso-themecolor:text2; mso-themetint:102"> vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; 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:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#8DB3E2;mso-themecolor:text2; mso-themetint:102"> 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;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;">[HIGH COURT, BOLGATANGA] <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center; 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;">[1978] GLR 501<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:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">DATE:</span></i><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">14 AUGUST 1979</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;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;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">I W. MENSAH FOR THE APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;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">MRS. SOPHIA ADENYIRAH, STATE ATTORNEY, FOR V. Y. AGUDETSE, 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"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">TAYLOR, J.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;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;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 TAYLOR 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;">The four appellants in this case were arraigned before the Circuit Court, Wa, charged jointly with the offence of conspiracy to steal in count one and stealing sixteen cartons of Embassy cigarettes valued ¢10,890 and one carton of Sweet Menthol cigarettes valued ¢480 all to the total value of ¢11,370 in count two. The properties were said to belong to the Pioneer Tobacco Co., Wa. A fifth accused person was charged with receiving. He pleaded not guilty and was apparently separately tried. He is a non-appellant and is accordingly not concerned with this appeal.<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;">When the appellants first appeared before the court, they pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing and not guilty to the conspiracy count. After they had so pleaded, the prosecution applied to amend the second charge to read sixteen cartons of Embassy instead of eighteen. The application was granted and the second count was accordingly amended. The appellants did not plead to the amended charge and this is a matter of complaint by counsel for the appellants, a complaint which I propose to examine in the course of this judgment. After the amendment, the prosecution then gave the facts of the case which they intended to prove as follows:<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 11 August 1978 between the hours of 8.30 and 9 p.m. cigarettes transport van No. GT 4505 arrived at Wa and the driver parked the van in front of the store of the Pioneer Tobacco Co., Wa. The van carried a consignment of assorted cigarettes meant to be distributed for the Wa District. When the van was parked the driver alighted with his mate and handed over the van together with the consignment to the watchman. The watchman examined the vehicle and found all the doors of the van well-secured with a padlock. While the watchman watched the van, it started raining heavily. The watchman took shelter under the shed. The first and second accused who had closed from the cinema were heading towards the lorry park. They met the third accused. The third accused informed the second and first accused that the cigarettes van had arrived and was waiting at the Pioneer Tobacco Co. office. The third accused advised that they should break into the van and carry some of the cigarettes. While the first and second accused were advancing towards the Pioneer Tobacco Co. main store they met the fourth accused standing by the Curiosity Drinking Saloon. Then the first, second and the third accused asked him what he wanted and he said he was after cigarettes. The first accused told the fourth accused that they were on their way to break into the van to collect cigarettes and that the fourth accused should follow them. The fourth accused agreed and followed as requested. Just as they arrived the third accused asked permission to find an iron rod to break the van. The three accused persons waited while the third accused brought an iron bar. With the aid of the iron bar they managed to break the van. The first accused entered and brought out first eight cartons of Embassy cigarettes. He gave two to the third accused and one carton to the first accused and he took five. The second accused watched the place while the others carried their booty. On their return the third accused entered and brought eight cartons Embassy and one carton of Sweet Menthol. The first accused asked where to hide the cartons till the next day when they would dispose of them. The second accused suggested the room of the fifth accused, his friend. The others agreed and they carried the cigarettes to the house of the fifth accused. The fifth accused was asleep and was awakened and met the first and second accused. The first and second accused told the fifth that they had brought some cigarettes which they wanted to be kept till the next day. The fifth accused asked how they came by the cigarettes, and the first accused was bold to say that the cigarettes were stolen from a Pioneer Tobacco Co. van and they promised him of his share the next morning. The fifth accused agreed and conveyed the cigarettes. On 12 August 1978 the watchman of Pioneer Tobacco Co. noticed the theft. He reported the matter to the area manager who advised that the case be reported to the police. By the use of the serial numbers from the way bill they discovered that sixteen cartons of Embassy and one carton Sweet Menthol had been stolen. During the course of investigation police sought the help of one woman who managed to get a carton which tallied with the serial No. 314-part of those cigarettes that were stolen. The informant told the police that she bought the cigarettes from the fourth accused. The fourth accused was arrested. The fourth accused admitted that the cigarettes were given to him by the first, second and the third accused persons. The fourth accused’s room was searched with a warrant and a carton of Embassy cigarette was traced. This was retrieved. The fourth accused led the police to the room of the first accused and five cartons of Embassy cigarettes were found. The first accused led the police to the second accused in whose room the police found nothing. In the room of the third accused was found two cartons of Embassy. They were all brought together with the cigarettes to the police station. The first accused then told the police that nine cartons were kept in the room of the fifth accused. The fifth accused could not be traced and his room was forced open under the directions of the district superintendent of police in charge of crime. The nine cartons were recovered and that tallied with the serial numbers of the stolen cigarettes. Later in the night, the fifth accused also reported himself to the police and was arrested and jointly charged with the first second, third and the f</main>
