THE REPUBLIC vs. SOSU RAPHAEL [2017]DLCA4679

Date	2017-02-28
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H2/24/2017
Citation No.	[2017]DLCA4679

ADJEI J.A. (PRESIDING)

SOWAH J.A.

MENSAH J.A.

JOHN BREFO ESQ. WITH HIM MS. AKUA OPPONG MENSAH FOR THE APPELLANT

CECIL BOATENG TETREKU (ASA) FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2017]DLCA4679
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
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color:#00B0F0;letter-spacing:.75pt;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-theme-font:major-fareast;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;letter-spacing:.75pt">(RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
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color:#00B0F0;letter-spacing:.75pt;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-theme-font:major-fareast;
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color:#00B0F0;letter-spacing:.75pt;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">SOSU RAPHAEL<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
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&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;letter-spacing:.75pt">(APPLICANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
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letter-spacing:.75pt;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">[COURT OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SUIT NO: H2/24/2017&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; 28TH
FEBRUARY 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
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letter-spacing:.75pt;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>JOHN BREFO ESQ. WITH HIM
MS. AKUA OPPONG MENSAH FOR THE APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CECIL
BOATENG TETREKU (ASA) FOR THE RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
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letter-spacing:.75pt;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">CORAM:<o:p></o:p>ADJEI
J.A. (PRESIDING), SOWAH J.A., MENSAH J.A. <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:
0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-theme-font:major-fareast;
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letter-spacing:.75pt;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ADJEI,J.A:<o:p></o:p>The Appellant herein was
convicted by the Circuit Court Mpraeso on 28th February,2014 on two
counts of defrauding by false pretence contrary to section 131 of Act 29/1960
and issue&nbsp; of false&nbsp; cheque contrary to section 313 A of Act 29.
The trial Circuit Court Judge sentenced the accused person to a term of fifteen
years imprisonment in respect of defrauding by false pretence. Regarding the
offence of issuing false cheque, the trial Circuit Court sentenced the accused
person to a term of three years. The three sentences were to run concurrently.<o:p></o:p>The Appellant herein who
was the accused person at the trial Circuit Court appealed against the sentence
imposed on him by the said trial Circuit Court to the High Court, Koforidua.
The High Court Koforidua heard the appeal against sentence and reduced the
fifteen years sentence imposed on the Appellant on the two counts of defrauding
by false pretences to eight years on each count and were to run concurrently.
The High Court did not discuss the sentence on the issue of false cheque even
though the ground of appeal against it was not abandoned. The High Court Judge
in reducing the sentence for defrauding by false pretence advised the Appellant
to pay the amount being the subject&nbsp;
matter of the crime. The Appellant refunded the sum of GH26, 330.00
being the entire subject matter of the crime to the complainant. The receipt
evidencing the refund of the money from the Appellant to the complainant is
dated 12th April, 2016. It was filed at the registry of this Court
on 30th June, 2016 and was made part of the record of appeal. It
states thus:<o:p></o:p>“Received from Sosu Raphael, an inmate
of Maximum Security Prison Ankaful, Cape Coast through his father, Nathaniel
Sosu, the sum of Twenty Six Thousand, Three hundred and Thirty Ghana cedis
(GH26,330.00) being a full refund&nbsp; of the
amount collected from me by the prisoner under the pretext of buying me a
Mercedes Benz Sprinter bus”.<o:p></o:p>The Appellant herein filed
an appeal against the sentence imposed on him by the High Court after leave had
been granted to the Appellant to file an appeal against sentence out of time by
this Court. The three grounds of appeal filed by the Appellant are as follows:<o:p></o:p>“a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
the sentence of 8 years IHL on count 1 and 2 was rather harsh having&nbsp; regard to the fact that the accused person
was a first offender and a young man who has learnt his lesson from the
period&nbsp; of his incarceration.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That the Appellant has taken a cue from the advice of the
High Court Judge &nbsp;and has therefore&nbsp; made a full refund of the amount&nbsp; of GH26,330.00 to the&nbsp; complainant and request&nbsp; His Lordships to&nbsp; reconsider his sentence. <o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That the Appellant is suffering from a serious illness and
needs urgent medical attention”.<o:p></o:p>We address ground (c) of
the appeal which is that the Appellant is suffering from a serious illness&nbsp;&nbsp; and needs urgent medical attention.<o:p</main>