ALHAJI MUSTAPHA UMARU vs. THE REPUBLIC [2015]DLCA8277

Date	2015-05-27
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL: NO. H2/07/2015
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA8277

ADJEI J.A (PRESIDING)

SOWAH (MRS) J.A

KWOFIE J.A

APPELLANT IN PERSON

EMELIA ADDO OKYIRE FOR RESPONDENT

[2015]DLCA8277
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ALHAJI MUSTAPHA UMARU<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL,
KOFORIDUA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CRIMINAL APPEAL: NO. H2/07/2015&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: 27TH MAY, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>APPELLANT IN PERSON<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

EMELIA ADDO OKYIRE
FOR RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

ADJEI J.A (PRESIDING),
SOWAH (MRS) J.A, KWOFIE J.A<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></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:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>SOWAH, J.A.<o:p></o:p>The
appellant who was the 2nd accused person [A2] at the trial court was charged
along with three others with Conspiracy to commit crime to wit: Robbery and
Robbery contrary to sections 23 and 149 respectively of the Criminal Offences
Act, 1960 Act 29 as amended by Act 646. <o:p></o:p>They
were alleged to have robbed a German national who was the project manager of a
German International Construction company at his residence at Nkonya Tepo at
gun point on 15th December 2001 <o:p></o:p>After
a full trial the High Court Ho, found all the accused persons guilty as charged
and duly convicted them on 1st
November 2004. In passing sentence the trial court ordered as follows:<o:p></o:p>“A.1
is sentenced to fifteen years I.H.L. on count one. A.2, &nbsp;&nbsp;A.3 and A.4 are sentenced to twenty-five
years each on Count two and fifteen years each on Count one.<o:p></o:p>A.2,
A.3 and A.4 are to serve the twenty-five year term. Sentence to run from 16th
December 2001”.<o:p></o:p>The
appellant filed this Notice of Appeal on 23rd December 2014 a full
10 years after his conviction pursuant to leave granted on 9th
December 2014. His grounds of appeal are:<o:p></o:p>i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That
the sentence of forty (40) years is excessively harsh taking into consideration
circumstances surrounding the case.<o:p></o:p>ii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That
appellant is remorseful and promised not to have a brush with the law again.<o:p></o:p>iii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That
appellant prays that the Honourable Court will temper justice with
mercy by reducing the sentence to the
barest minimum.<o:p></o:p>The
appeal is thus an appeal against sentence only. <o:p></o:p>