[2016]DLCA4573 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">CHARLES AGYEMAN @ NANA YAW</span></b></span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC</span></b></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">CRIMINAL APPEAL NO: H2/22/2016</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> 26<sup>TH</sup> OCTOBER, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">GAD COBBINAH (ESQ.) FOR APPELLANT <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">EMILY ADDO-OKYIREH (CSA) FOR RESPONDENT<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">ADJEI J.A. (PRESIDING), SOWAH J.A., MENSAH J.A. <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><b><i><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">SOWAH</span></u></i></b><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">, J.A.:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The brief facts of this case are as follows: On 18<sup>th</sup> June 2012, the appellant and three accomplices trailed their four victims in a taxi-cab from Osu to the victims residence at Teshie Malik. When the victims – three Italians and a Ghanaian arrived at the entrance of their home, they were attacked at gunpoint and beaten. Paula Badalas the wife of Donnini Lorenzo one of the Italian, was fatally wounded by gunshot and died in hospital the following day. The robbers made away with a bag containing travelling documents, phones, i-pad and cash. Unfortunately for them, one of the robbers left his phone at the scene and this led to their arrest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The accused persons were charged at the Circuit Court with Conspiracy to rob and robbery. Fuseini Mumuni Gariba @ Burger and Awudu Mumuni @ Baba Ayittey both pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to 40 years IHL. The appellant herein however pleaded ‘not guilty’ and was tried at the High Court, Accra.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">The appellant was charged </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">with Conspiracy to rob contrary to sections 23(1) and 149 of the Criminal Code 1960, Act 29 and three counts with Robbery contrary to section 149 of Act 29. The trial court found him guilty after a full trial and imposed sentence on him on 22<sup>nd</sup> December 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The appellants petition of appeal filed on 7<sup>th</sup> July 2016 pursuant to leave granted on 27<sup>th</sup> April 2016 has the following grounds of appeal:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">1.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">That the sentence was too harsh and excessive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">2.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Mitigation of sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book