ERIC GYASIE @ TABOTABO vs. THE REPUBLIC [2018]DLCA4718

Date	2018-07-25
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.H1/4/2018
Citation No.	[2018]DLCA4718

JUSTICE IRENE C. LARBI (MRS) J.A. (PRESIDING)

JUSTICE L. L. MENSAH J.A.

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

DANIEL ARTHUR FOR APPELLANT/APPELLANT.

NANA AISHA SALIFU FOR RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT

[2018]DLCA4718
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ERIC GYASIE @ TABOTABO<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, CAPE COAST]<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 NO.H1/4/2018&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: 25TH JULY, 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>DANIEL ARTHUR FOR
APPELLANT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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NANA
AISHA SALIFU FOR RESPONDENT/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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JUSTICE
IRENE C. LARBI (MRS) J.A. (PRESIDING), JUSTICE L. L. MENSAH J.A., JUSTICE
ANGELINA 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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>LAWRENCE L. MENSAH, J.A.<o:p></o:p>This
is an appeal launched by the Appellant who was convicted on his own plea for
the offences of causing unlawful harm and robbery by the Circuit Court, Cape
Coast presided over by Her Honour Florence Kai Otu&nbsp; on 30th November 2011 contrary to
sections 69 and 149 respectively of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, Act
29.&nbsp; The Appellant was sentenced to a
term of four years and twenty-five years respectively.&nbsp; Aggrieved by the said sentence the Appellant
appealed to the High Court, Cape Coast, presided over by Mustapha J.&nbsp; The learned High Court Judge allowed the
appeal in part and reduced the sentences from 25 years IHL to 20 years
IHL.&nbsp; Still aggrieved by the reduction of
the sentence to only 20 years, he appealed further to this court.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Facts:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The facts which led to this appeal
go like this:&nbsp; On 21st
November 2011, the Appellant a driver called the complainant who was a taxi
driver working at Assin Fosu on his cell phone and hired the taxi driver’s
services from Assin Fosu to Assin Juaso.&nbsp;
The complainant responded to the Appellant’s call and drove to the said
location at Assin Juaso and from there to Akonfudi.&nbsp; At Akonfudi the Appellant told the
complainant that the person whom he had come to see had moved to a location
around Okomfo Kyeremang shrine.&nbsp;
Complainant drove the vehicle towards that direction and at a spot near
the Assin Akonfudi Jehovah’s Witnesses Camp, the Appellant told the complainant
to stop, and ordered him to hand over the ignition key of the vehicle to him,
failing which he would harm him.&nbsp; The
complainant refused to hand over the key and shouted for help.&nbsp; This infuriated the Appellant who pulled out
a cutlass which he had hidden in his trousers and inflicted deep wounds on the
left hand of the complainant.&nbsp; Having
received the grievous bodily harm, the complainant fled from the taxi and the
Appellant took over control of the vehicle and sped off.&nbsp; The Appellant sensing that he might be
pursued by the police and arrested, he removed the car tape, the cell phone of
the complainant and a cash of GH¢28.00 being the sale for the day and abandoned
the taxi in between Akenkaso and Akim Aperade.&nbsp;
The Appellant was subsequently arrested by the police with the items.&nbsp; The complainant was admitted at the Assin Fosu
hospital on the day of the robbery and was discharged on 24th
November 2011.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Grounds of Appeal:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The sole ground of the appeal is
that the sentence of 20 years IHL is
excessive in the light of the fact that the Appellant is a first time offender
and that the exhibits were retrieved and handed over to the complainant.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>