BOGAAR DAGARTI BEQUE DEKOLO vs. THE REPUBLIC [2017]DLCA4506

Date	2017-06-27
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO: H2/2/17
Citation No.	[2017]DLCA4506

HONYENUGA J.A. (PRESIDING)

GYAN J.A.

SUURBAAREH J.A.

MR. PHILIP NKRUMAH FOR THE APPLICANT/RESPONDENT

MR. VICTOR OWUSU FOR THE 1ST RESPONDENT/APPELLANT & THE RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS

[2017]DLCA4506
																																						<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" >BOGAAR DAGARTI BEQUE
DEKOLO<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">vs.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[COURT OF
APPEAL, CAPE COAST]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;">CRIMINAL APPEAL NO:&nbsp; H2/2/17&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 JUNE, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. PHILIP NKRUMAH FOR THE
APPLICANT/RESPONDENT<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">

MR.
VICTOR OWUSU FOR THE 1ST RESPONDENT/APPELLANT &amp; THE
RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">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">

HONYENUGA
J.A. (PRESIDING), GYAN J.A., SUURBAAREH J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>HONYENUGA, J.A.<o:p></o:p>The appellant and another were convicted by the Circuit
Court, Tarkwa on the 3rd February, 2004 on the offences of
conspiracy to commit crime contrary to section 23 of the Criminal Offences Act,
1960, (Act 29) and defilement contrary to section 101 of the Criminal Offences
Act, 1960 (Act 29) as amended by section 101 of Act 554, 1998.&nbsp; The appellant like his accomplice were
sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour on each count but on an
appeal to the High Court, Sekondi, his appeal was on 4th April, 2006
dismissed and his sentence enhanced to the maximum sentence of 25 years
imprisonment with worse strenuous labour imaginable.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The facts of this appeal were that on the 13th
November 2003, at about 6pm, the complainant, a fifteen year old JHS pupil went
to sell rice at Omanpe/Abochie.&nbsp; At about
6.30pm, the complainant set off to go back home and on the way, she saw the
appellant and the convict following her.&nbsp;
The convict proposed love to her but she informed him that she was an
apprentice and therefore he should inform her mother.&nbsp; Both the convict and the appellant then
decided to follow her to her village.&nbsp;
Upon reaching the village, the convict pushed the pan she was carrying which
contained tomatoes, pepper and money and it fell down.&nbsp; While the complainant knelt down in an
attempt to pick the items on the ground, the convict held her neck, while the
appellant held her legs and they dragged her into a secondary forest nearby and
put her under a mango tree.&nbsp; In the
process, they forcibly tore and removed her pants while the appellant pinned
her down while the convict had sexual intercourse with her.&nbsp; After the convict had satisfied himself, he
held the neck of complainant and the appellant also forcibly had his turn.&nbsp; Later, the appellant held the neck of the
complainant, pinned her down and the convict forcibly had another sexual
intercourse with her.&nbsp; After satisfying
themselves, both convicts gave her a total of ¢5,000.00 (old cedis) and allowed
her to go home.&nbsp; Her pants and the
underskirt were all torn and she left them in the bush together with her
sandals.&nbsp; While heading towards home, the
complainant met a woman and narrated her ordeal to her and in the process she
fell down and collapsed.&nbsp; Water was
poured on her before she regained consciousness.&nbsp; The woman took her to her uncle who together
took her to the clinic but she was later referred to the Enchi Hospital.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>A report was made to the Police, where she wrote a
statement and was issued with a Medical Form to attend hospital where she was
treated.&nbsp; The convicts were then charged
with the offences as charged.&nbsp; The
convict and the appellant were convicted on both counts and were sentenced to
20 years imprisonment with hard labour on each count to run concurrently.&nbsp; The appellant later filed an appeal to the
High Court, Sekondi, where the appeal was dismissed and his sentence was
enh</main>