JOHN BONUAH vs. THE REPUBLIC [2015]DLSC3214

Date	2015-07-09
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J3/1/2015
Citation No.	[2015]DLSC3214

WOOD (MRS.) CJ (PRESIDING)

DOTSE JSC

YEBOAH JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

BENIN JSC

NKRABEAH EFFAH DARTEY ESQ. FOR THE APPELLANT.

MARINA APPIAH OPARE ESQ. (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE REPUBLIC.

[2015]DLSC3214
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JOHN BONUAH<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, 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">

CIVIL
APPEAL NO. J3/1/2015&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
DATE: 9TH
JULY, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&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; <o:p></o:p>NKRABEAH EFFAH DARTEY ESQ.&nbsp; 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">

MARINA
APPIAH OPARE ESQ. (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) 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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</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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JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>WOOD
(MRS) CJ:-<o:p></o:p>On the 28th of February,
2002, the Appellant and one Billy who is at large, were tried and convicted by
the Sunyani High Court of the offences of conspiracy to commit robbery to ss.
23 and 149, and robbery contrary to s. 149 of Act 29/60 and sentenced to life
imprisonment on each count to run concurrently. Appellant unsuccessfully
appealed against the sentence, on grounds of its harshness and excessiveness,
as he contended, “given the circumstances of the case”. He however lost the appeal
on the jurisdictional ground that:<o:p></o:p>“…appellant
committed this offence in 2002. At that time the minimum sentence for robbery
with small arms where there was no death was life imprisonment. Even though the
law has such been amended with regard to sentencing, we do not have
jurisdiction to interfere with the sentence lawfully imposed on the appellant
in 2002.”<o:p></o:p>Dissatisfied,
he has with leave, this time around, appealed the conviction on the basis that:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:
l0 level1 lfo1">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“The Court of Appeal made a serious
error of law for refusing to look at the appeal against conviction because:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:
l1 level1 lfo2">a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Record of proceedings from the High
Court, Sunyani produced by the Registrar was incomplete due to the
non-availability of the other relevant records. The Appellant, reeling under
irrevocable sentence of Life imprisonment must not suffer as a result of
incompetence of the Record of Proceedings.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:
l1 level1 lfo2">b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
There was no evidence to show that he
conspired with any other person.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>