FIIFI KOFI ADU vs. THE REPUBLIC [2015]DLCA4740

Date	2015-01-29
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H2/4/2014
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA4740

OWUSU M. (PRESIDING)

ADUAMA OSEI J.A.

DORDZIE J.A.

MR. ERIC DELANYO ALIPO FOR THE APPELLANT

COMFORT TASIAME (SSA) FOR THE REPUBLIC

[2015]DLCA4740
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >FIIFI KOFI ADU<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<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;
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SUIT
NO: H2/4/2014&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: 29TH JANUARY,
2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. ERIC DELANYO ALIPO FOR
THE APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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COMFORT
TASIAME (SSA) FOR THE REPUBLIC<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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OWUSU
M. (PRESIDING), ADUAMA OSEI J.A., DORDZIE 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;
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</div>MARIAMA
OWUSU, J.A:<o:p></o:p>On 18-10-2013, the High
Court, Accra dismissed the appellant’s appeal against both conviction and
sentence as being without merit. The Court held among other things that:<o:p></o:p>“From all the above, I am unable to
fault the learned trial judge for preferring the prosecution’s story to that of
the defence. It is in the light of this that I uphold the conviction of the appellant.<o:p></o:p>Now can the sentence inflicted on the
appellant be said to be harsh? By Section 149 of Act 29 as amended by Act 646,
of 2003 the minimum sentence for the offence of robbery when offensive weapons
are used is 15 years imprisonment with hard labour. I do admit that the
appellant was not charged with robbery. He was charged with conspiracy to rob
and abetment of robbery. However, by the provisions in section 20 (3) and 24 of
Act 29, he shall be punished as a person who has actually committed robbery. In
this view, the minimum sentence that could be inflicted on the appellant by the
trial court was 15 years. He was in fact sentenced to 16 years on each court.
The court ordered that the sentences were to run concurrently. I think that
cannot by any stretch of imagination be said to be harsh.<o:p></o:p>I think the trial judge was very
gracious and extremely lenient in pronouncing sentence on the appellant. I am
therefore unable to interfere with the sentence imposed on the appellant.<o:p></o:p>It is from all the forgoing that I
hold that there is absolutely no merit in this appeal. The same is hereby
dismissed. The conviction and sentence of the appellant are hereby upheld and
affirmed”. <o:p></o:p>Dissatisfied with the
decision of the High Court, the appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal on
the following grounds:<o:p></o:p>a.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
High Court ought to have considered the circumstances of the case and
Appellant’s remorse to reduce the sentence.<o:p></o:p>b.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Appellant
is very sorry and sincerely regrets his involvement in these crimes.<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Appellant vows to mend his ways and to
avoid any brush with the law in future.<o:p></o:p>RELIEF
SOUGHT FROM THIS COURT:<o:p></o:p>For the Honourable Court
to temper justice with mercy and reduce Appellant’s sentence to the minimum.<o</main>