[2019]DLCA8691 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">MARVIN AMPONSAH @ HOMEBOY<o:p></o:p></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CRIMINAL APPEAL SUIT NO.: H1/33/2019<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">DATE: 31</span><sup><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">ST</span></sup><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> <sup><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></sup></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">JULY, 2019</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">BAABA AVIO FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">FRANCES M. ANSAH (MRS.) PSA FOR RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">P. K. GYAESAYOR JA (PRESIDING), AVRIL LOVELACE-JOHNSON JA, CECILIA SOWAH JA<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">JUDGMENT</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:150%"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u style="text-underline:double"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">GYAESAYOR, JA<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The appellant herein is one of five accused’s person tried in the High Court for the offences of conspiracy to rob and robbery contrary to Sections 23(1) and Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, Act 29 of 1960.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">He is the sole appellant in this appeal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The judgment convicting the appellant is dated 12<sup>th</sup> March 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This appellant was sentenced to 20 years 1HL on count 1 and 50 years 1HL on count 2.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">It appears from the record that appellant did not engage services of counsel to assist him at the trial and conducted his defence by himself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The brief facts of the case are that appellant together with the other convicts met at the Tema roundabout upon their agreement to undertake a robbery expedition at Mepe Rural Bank in the Volta Region.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Upon the agreement some of the appellant and one Awudu seized a ford explorer from the owner and with an Opel Vectra saloon car belonging to the appellant herein drove together to Mepe to rob the rural bank.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They had guns, knives and other offensive weapons with which they undertook the operation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They were able to take away an amount 13,061.00<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Upon their arrest all the accused then mentioned 1<sup>st</sup> accused a policeman as their leader who drove the car provided by 2<sup>nd</sup> accused to Sege where he handed the vehicle and weapons to appellant to continue the journey.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The appellant and others were arrested and charged with the offences.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The appellant who was 2<sup>nd</sup> accused in the trial stated the following as his grounds of appeal: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:0cm;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">That the conviction and sentence is against the weight of evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:0cm;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">