[2015]DLCA8018 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">FIIFI KOFI ADU<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">(APPELLANT)</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(RESPONDANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">SUIT NO: H2/4/2014 </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">DATE: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">29<sup>TH </sup></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">JANUARY, 2015</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">MR. ERIC DELANYO ALIPO FOR THE APPELLANT<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COMFORT TASIAME (SSA) FOR THE REPUBLIC<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> OWUSU M. (PRESIDING), ADUAMA OSEI J.A., DORDZIE J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">MARIAMA OWUSU, J.A:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">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></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 150%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">“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></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 150%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">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></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 150%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">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></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 150%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">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></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Dissatisfied with the decision of the High Court, the appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal on the following grounds:<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">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: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i></b><!--[endif]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The High Court ought to have considered the circumstances of the case and Appellant’s remorse to reduce the sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">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: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i></b><!--[endif]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Appellant is very sorry and sincerely regrets his involvement in these crimes.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">c.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Appellant vows to mend his ways and to avoid any brush with the law in future.</span></i></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">RELIEF SOUGHT FROM THIS COURT:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&q