RICHMOND KWABLA DZANGBATEY vs. THE REPUBLIC [2015]DLCA8407

Date	2015-10-28
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H2/12/2015
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA8407

ADJEI JA – PRESIDING

CECILIA H. SOWAH JA

HENRY KWOFIE JA

AUGUSTINE OBOUR ESQ FOR THE APPELLANT

EMILY ADDO OKYIRE (CSA) FOR THE RESPONDENT WITH HER IS EMMANUEL OPARE WIREDU (ASA)

[2015]DLCA8407
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >RICHMOND KWABLA DZANGBATEY<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">vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</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">

SUIT NO: H2/12/2015&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 28TH OCT, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AUGUSTINE OBOUR ESQ FOR THE APPELLANT<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">

EMILY ADDO OKYIRE
(CSA) FOR THE RESPONDENT WITH HER IS EMMANUEL OPARE WIREDU (ASA) <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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

ADJEI JA – PRESIDING,
CECILIA H. SOWAH JA, HENRY KWOFIE JA<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<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>ADJEI
J.A:<o:p></o:p>The appellant was convicted and sentenced to
suffer death on 7th March, 2004 by the High Court Koforidua. Pursuant
to the leave granted by this Court to the appellant to file an appeal against
conviction out of time, the appellant filed a Petition of appeal against his conviction
on 3rd February, 2014.<o:p></o:p>The appellant was charged with two offences,
namely murder and use of offensive weapon contrary to sections 46 and 70 of the
Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) respectively. The appellant
killed one Christiana Apafo whom he was in relationship with on 4th
March, 1995 with a bottle. The appellant did not deny killing the late
Christiana Apafo but his case was that the deceased pulled his genital organs,
bit him and further inflicted tooth-bite injuries on his penis. He therefore
killed her as a self-defence. The jurors found the appellant guilty of murder
and was accordingly convicted for murder.<o:p></o:p>The appellant dissatisfied with his conviction
raised four grounds of appeal in his Petition of appeal. The ground of appeal
are as follows:<o:p></o:p>(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
trial Judge misdirected himself in his summing up to the Jury.<o:p></o:p>(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
trial Judge misdirected the Jury in his summing up.<o:p></o:p>(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
verdict of the jury is unreasonable in the light of the evidence before it and <o:p></o:p>(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
trial Judge erred when he failed to consider the defence of the Appellant adequately”.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The appellant who was self-represented informed
the Court that he would rely on his grounds of appeal. The Attorney General was
also ordered to respond to the grounds of appeal if she was minded to do but
she did not file any process. Grounds (a) and (b) of the Petition of appeal are
almost the same and we shall address both of them together.<o:p></o:p></span</main>