KOMBAT EZEKIEL vs. THE REPUBLIC [2016]DLCA5176

Date	2016-06-14
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.: H2/01/2016
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA5176

E. K. AYEBI J.A. (PRESIDING)

G. TORKORNOO (MRS) J.A.

A. M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS.) J.A.

[2016]DLCA5176
																																						<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" >KOMBAT EZEKIEL<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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">

CRIMINAL
APPEAL NO.: H2/01/2016&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: 14TH JUNE,
2016<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:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

E.
K. AYEBI J.A. (PRESIDING), G. TORKORNOO
(MRS) J.A., A. M. DOMAKYAAREH
(MRS.) J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

</div>A. M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS), J. A&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This is an appeal from the judgment of the
High Court, Kumasi dated 21st November 2013.&nbsp; In the said judgment, the High Court affirmed
the conviction and sentence of the appellant herein by the Circuit Court Ofinso
on a charge of threat of death contrary to Section 75 of Act 29/60.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Facts
of the case<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The facts of the case as deduced from the
Record of Appeal are that the complainant is a business woman while the accused,
now appellant, is a farmer.&nbsp; They both
live at Okrakrom, a farming cottage near Asempanaye.&nbsp; Both the complainant and the accused from
time to time send maize and other farm produce to Abofour on market days to
sell.&nbsp; On one such occasion on 1st
December 2011, a misunderstanding arose between the accused and the complainant
over a bag of maize. The misunderstanding arose on account of the fact that the
traders normally conveyed their goods to the market on the night of the eve of
the market day unaccompanied by them and then on the next day they followed up
to the market in the morning for the sales. It so happened that on this
particular occasion the maize got mixed up with the appellant’s only bag of
maize finding itself among the maize of the complainant. The complainant’s
agent took the maize and started selling same before the complainant and the
appellant arrived at the market. &nbsp;The
appellant traced his bag of maize and found the empty sack at the complainant’s
base. The appellant accused the complainant’s agent of stealing his maize and
threatened to have him arrested. The complainant said it was a mix up and
offered to pay the cost to the appellant. The appellant refused saying the
amount offered was not enough and that the complainant should pay the cost of
an additional two plastic buckets of maize but the complainant also refused.
The complainant later gave the amount she offered to the complainant’s wife at
the market. Needless to say that the incident led to a heated argument until
they returned to the village in the evening.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
In the night, the accused took a
single-barreled gun, loaded it with a cartridge and threatened to kill the
complainant.&nbsp; A witness in the case
sensing danger left the village and reported to the Police.&nbsp; The pandemonium caused by the accused’s
behavior attracted people to the scene, and with the help of the Unit Committee
members around, the gun and two live cartridges were taken away from the
accused.&nbsp; Before this, the accused had
gone to hide another gun in the bush which was also retrieved later.&nbsp; Some of the people guarded and kept watch
over the accused throughout the night until the next morning when the Police
came and they handed him and the exhibits to the Police who conducted
investigations into the matter.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>4.