MOHAMMED KAMARA vs. THE REPUPLIC [2012]DLCA5157

Date	2012-03-13
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO: H2/24/2012
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA5157

KANYOKE J.A (PRESIDING)

GYAESAYOR J.A

SOWAH (MRS) J.A

MR. AUGUSTINES OBOUR FOR THE APPELLANT

MR. MATTHEW AMPONSAH (CSA) FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2012]DLCA5157
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MOHAMMED
KAMARA<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUPLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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">

CRIMINAL
APPEAL NO: H2/24/2012&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: 13TH MARCH,
2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. AUGUSTINES OBOUR FOR
THE APPELLANT<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">

MR.
MATTHEW AMPONSAH (CSA) 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;
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KANYOKE
J.A (PRESIDING), GYAESAYOR J.A, SOWAH (MRS) J.A<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>SOWAH, J.A.<o:p></o:p>The appellant, who is a Sierra Leonian resident in
Ghana, was charged with others at large with Robbery contrary to section 149 of
the Criminal Code 1960, Act 29 as amended by Act 646. He was said to have
robbed one Muntari Adamu of cash sum of GH¢8,000.00 at gunpoint at his
residence at Race Course in Accra on 4th September 2008. After
trial, he was convicted of the offence and sentenced to 15 years IHL, and to be
deported after serving his sentence in a judgment dated 13th October
2011. <o:p></o:p>The
appellant promptly filed a Notice of appeal against conviction on 4th
November 2011. The stated ground of appeal was:<o:p></o:p><span style="mso-bidi-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;">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the identification
that he was taken as the criminal because he had open teeth was wrong in law.<o:p></o:p>On
30th May 2012, he filed the following additional grounds of appeal:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp; That there was gross miscarriage of justice
when the trial judge, instead of following normal procedure in adjudicating,
decided to hear the evidence of the appellant before hearing the case of the
prosecution.&nbsp; Hence the defence was heard
on 26th February 2009, whilst the prosecution started on 10th
September 2009.<o:p></o:p><span style="mso-bidi-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;">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That principle of fair
trial date laid out in the 1992 Constitution, made it mandatory for the trial
court to undertake to obtain the attendance of witnesses for the prosecution as
well as those of the accused. That the trial judge erred in law by asking
Appellant, an accused in custody, to make his “own arrangements” to get the
attendance of his witnesses (Refer page 18 of the record of court proceedings)<o:p></o:p><span style="mso-bidi-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;">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That this was in spite of
the fact that Appellant indicated to the court his potential witnesses, i.e.
his landlady and her daughters. Hence the trial court failed to use its powers
to subpoena witnesses to help in ensuring fairness and justice.<o:p></o:p><span style="mso-bidi-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;">4.<s</main>