INNOCENT AMLADO vs. THE REPUBLIC [2017]DLCA4852

Date	2017-07-06
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL SUIT NO: H2/23/2016
Citation No.	[2017]DLCA4852

ADJEI J.A. (PRESIDING)

SOWAH J.A.

MENSAH J.A.

ERIC DELANYO ALIFO FOR APPELLANT

SIMON ADATSI (SSA) FOR RESPONDENT

[2017]DLCA4852
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >INNOCENT AMLADO<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>[COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CRIMINAL
APPEAL SUIT NO: H2/23/2016&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;DATE: 6TH JULY, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p>ERIC
DELANYO ALIFO FOR APPELLANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SIMON
ADATSI (SSA) FOR RESPONDENT <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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ADJEI
J.A. (PRESIDING), SOWAH J.A. , MENSAH 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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>SOWAH J.A.<o:p></o:p>The
appellant was charged with Murder contrary to section 46 of the Criminal Code
1960, Act 29. He entered a plea of ‘Not Guilty’, and taking advantage of
section 239 of the Criminal (Procedure) Code 1960, Act 30 entered a plea of
“Guilty” to the lesser offence of Manslaughter. Consequently he was summarily
convicted for Manslaughter by the trial High Court, Ho on 12th May
2008.<o:p></o:p>The
facts as presented to the trial court were that there was a long standing
dispute between the parents of the deceased and the appellant over family land.
On 13th December 2002, the appellant was at the farm with two other
persons to gather sweet berries. He was confronted by the deceased who insisted
that he would not permit the appellant to carry the berries to the market. A struggle/fight
ensued and the deceased picked a stone to hit the appellant whereupon the
appellant also picked the deceased’s cutlass and brandished it to prevent the
deceased from getting to him. The cutlass cut the stomach of the deceased who
died as a result. <o:p></o:p>A
lengthy submission in mitigation of sentence was made on behalf of the
appellant who was represented by counsel. The prosecution did not oppose the
plea of mitigation as it conceded that the deceased had been the aggressor all
along.<o:p></o:p>The
trial judge sentenced the appellant to 15 years imprisonment with hard <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">labour with effect from the date of
conviction, that is 12th May 2008, having, he said, taken into
consideration the plea in mitigation as well as the fact that the appellant had
been on bail for some time during the period prior to the trial. <o:p></o:p>On 15th
December 2015, the appellant was granted leave by this court to file his
petition of appeal. The pursuant Notice of Appeal filed on 8th
January 2016 is for mitigation of sentence and has the following grounds of
appeal:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That the trial court’s ought to have
taken the ci</main>