AFUA ADOKO & ANOR vs. THE REPUBLIC [2019]DLHC10088

Date	2019-06-24
Suit No.	CASE NO. CR/273/2019
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC10088

JUSTICE GEORGE BUADI J.

VICTOR YANKSON FOR THE APPELLANTS

DORA QUAYE (STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE REPUBLIC

[2019]DLHC10088
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AFUA ADOKO &amp; ANOR<o:p></o:p>(CONVICT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT
(CRIMINAL DIVISION, 5), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>VICTOR YANKSON FOR
THE APPELLANTS<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">DORA
QUAYE (STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div>&nbsp;1.0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Introduction
and background facts<o:p></o:p>1.1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is a criminal appeal by the
appellants herein against the judgment of the Circuit Court ‘5’, Accra<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Criminal/Afua%20Adoko%20&amp;amp;%20Anor%20v.%20Republic%20-%20Appeal%2024%20June%202019%20(2021_01_25%2010_26_20%20UTC).docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a>
dated 20 July 2018, and 12 January 2017<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Criminal/Afua%20Adoko%20&amp;amp;%20Anor%20v.%20Republic%20-%20Appeal%2024%20June%202019%20(2021_01_25%2010_26_20%20UTC).docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a> respectively
that convicted appellants on a single charge of conspiracy to commit crime
namely human trafficking contrary to section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences
Act, 1960 (Act 29), and section 2(1) of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act
694).<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Criminal/Afua%20Adoko%20&amp;amp;%20Anor%20v.%20Republic%20-%20Appeal%2024%20June%202019%20(2021_01_25%2010_26_20%20UTC).docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title="">[3]</a><o:p></o:p>&nbsp;1.2&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The facts as contained in the factsheet
accompanying the charge sheet that I can briefly narrate here are that
appellants are a married couple. They are natives of Winneba but reside at
Yeji, a fishing community in the Bono East Region as fishmonger and fisherman
respectively. Christian Kofi Panyin, aged 14, the child victim in the suit is
the son of the convict Ama Adomah (A2) a trader who lives at Winneba. On 20 November
2016, the couple appellants (A1 and A3) travelled from Yeji to Winneba and approached
A2 for her child, the victim to be taken to Yeji for fishing. A2 agreed and
offered the child for a fee of GHc200. To evade possible detection of the deal
in Winneba, appellants and A2 agreed that A2 brought the child from Winneba to
Accra and to hand over the child to appellants who will transport the child to
Yeji to engage him in fishing. On 23 November 2016, A2 convict traveled with her
child the victim from Winneba to meet Appellants at the Adabraka Market, Accra.
A2 handed the child over to A1 and returned to Winneba. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;1.3&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The child became uncooperative and began
to cry out when he realized that his mother was about to leave and to return to
Winneba, leaving him behind with 1st appellant. The incident
attracted a scene at the transport terminal who became suspicious. A good
Samaritan, the complainant (PW3) made a report to the police resulting in the
arrest of 1st appellant, and then later convict A2 and 2nd
appellant by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. The three were charged with two
counts of offence, first “conspiracy to commit crime”, namely human trafficking
contrary to law<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Criminal/Afua%20Adoko%20&amp;amp;%20Anor%20v.%20Republic%20-%20Appeal%2024%20June%202019%20(2021_01_25%2010_26_20%20UTC).docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title="">[4]</a>, and second “preparation
to commit crime” namely human trafficking contrary to law.<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Criminal/Afua%20Adoko%20&amp;amp;%20Anor%20v.%20Republic%20-%20Appeal%2024%20June%202019%20(2021_01_25%2010_26_20%20UTC).docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title="">[5]</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;