BENIAKO AND ANOTHER vs. THE REPUBLIC [1996]DLCA542

Date	1996-01-25
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1996]DLCA542

AMUAH JA

FORSTER JA

BENIN JA

OWUSU FORDJOUR FOR THE APPELLANTS.

MRS AMA BANFUL PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE REPUBLIC.

[1996]DLCA542
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">BENIAKO AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1995-96] 1 GLR 32<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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 25
JANUARY 1996<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>OWUSU FORDJOUR FOR THE APPELLANTS.<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">

MRS AMA BANFUL, PRINCIPAL
STATE ATTORNEY, FOR THE REPUBLIC. <o:p></o:p>

AMUAH, FORSTER AND BENIN JJA<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF FORSTER JA.<o:p></o:p>On 29 August 1994 the appellants were indicted at the criminal
section of the High Court, Accra of the offences of conspiracy to commit murder
and murder. On 29 August 1994 they were convicted of manslaughter upon the
verdict of the jury and sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment with hard
labour. It is against these conviction and sentence that they appealed to this
court.<o:p></o:p>The first appellant was at the material time the station officer
of the Elmina Police Station. The second appellant was a constable at the same
station. In June 1993 among prisoners then being detained in the temporary
police cells was the deceased, Ato Kwami Awotwi. It would seem that the cells
were then being repaired by a contractor. On the morning of 6 June 1993 it was
discovered that the prisoners had broken out of the cells and escaped. On 7
June 1993 the deceased was recaptured by some fishermen from the lagoon at
Brenaakyin village into which he had jumped on seeing the search party made up
of the two appellants, other policemen and some civilians. He was handed over
to the policemen.<o:p></o:p>While the other men waited to continue the search for the other,
the appellants took away the deceased in a taxi to the Elmina Police Station,
and returned him into cells. The appellants then left to rejoin the other
policemen who had been left in the village to continue the search. Upon the
instructions of the first appellant, the party left the village and returned to
the station. On 8 June 1994 the deceased complained that he was sick and he was
therefore sent to the Cape Coast Hospital where he died on admission the same
day. The issue that was in contention at the trial was the cause of death and
whether the appellants were responsible for the death of the deceased.<o:p></o:p>In this appeal, Mr Owusu Fordjour, counsel for the appellants,
argued:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(1). “That the judge erred in not
discharging the jury when they were not unanimous. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(2). That the verdict of the jury
was against the weight of evidence on the record. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(3).
That the verdict of the jury was unreasonable and unsupported by
the evidence, in view of the serious conflicts and discrepancies in the case
for the prosecution Coupled with other circumstances which ought to put the
jury on their guard as to the credibility and accuracy of the prosecution witnesses.”<o:p></o:p>Mr Owusu Fordjour submitted that when the jury announced that they
were not unanimous, the judge should have discharged them and not sent them
back to reconsider their verdict. The following excerpts from the record show
the procedure adopted by the judge, after the jury had returned from some 30
minutes deliberations :<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">“Q Foreman of the jury have you reached a verdict? <o:p></o:p>