CHUKWUDI UKALA (a.k.a U.K) vs. THE REPUBLIC [2019]DLHC10094

Date	2019-06-17
Suit No.	CASE NO. CR/245/2019
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC10094

JUSTICE GEORGE BUADI J.

OSUMAN MOHADEEN FOR THE APPELLANT

LAURA-MOREEN A. BENSON AGBLEY (ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY) FOR REPUBLIC

[2019]DLHC10094
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >CHUKWUDI UKALA (a.k.a U.K)<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>OSUMAN MOHADEEN
FOR THE APPELLANT<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">LAURA-MOREEN
A. BENSON AGBLEY (ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY) FOR REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE GEORGE
BUADI J.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT ON
CRIMINAL APPEAL<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;1.0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Background<o:p></o:p>1.1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is a criminal appeal from the
judgment of the Circuit Court ‘1’, Accra<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Criminal/Chukwudi%20Utaka%20v%20Rep%20-%20Appeal%20(2021_01_25%2010_26_20%20UTC).docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a>
dated 30 March 2016<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Criminal/Chukwudi%20Utaka%20v%20Rep%20-%20Appeal%20(2021_01_25%2010_26_20%20UTC).docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a> that convicted appellant
of the charge of robbery and sentenced him to 25 years imprisonment in hard
labour (IHL). The facts are that on 21 August 2015, about 8:50 in the evening
at Haatso, Accra, the appellant, a self-styled businessman together with two
others at large robbed Kyito Peter and Shamsudeen Mohammed, operators of a
mobile money vending shop called Winners Multimedia of one Sony laptop valued
at GH¢2,500, five assorted mobile phones estimated at GH¢900 and recharge cards
valued GH¢1,500 and cash of GH¢22,000.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;1.2&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The brief facts are that the appellant on
21 August 2015 earlier visited the shop at about 5:30 pm and withdrew GH¢800
from his MTN mobile money account. At about 8:50pm, on the same day, appellant
went to the shop again claiming to withdraw GH¢500 from the same account.
Processing of the second withdrawal did not succeed. It was aborted on account
of exceeding permissible withdrawal quota on the account for the day. Whilst
appellant was still in the shop, indeed standing at the entrance of the glass
door, the appellant was seen signaling and beckoning some persons outside to
come into the shop. Two persons, apparently in response suddenly entered the
shop armed with offensive weapons and started to attack persons present at the
shop (PW1 and PW2) and made away with the booty on a motor bike after causing
harm and injuries to PW1 and PW2.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;1.3&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Police managed to arrest the appellant
when he made attempt to reactivate his MTN account number. The other two are
still at large and were not charged and prosecuted with appellant on charges of
conspiracy, and robbery. At the conclusion of the trial, the learned trial judge
discharged appellant on conspiracy on account of the absence of the other two
accomplices, but convicted appellant of robbery and sentenced him to 25 years
IHL.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;2.0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Grounds
of the appeal<o:p></o:p>2.1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Apparently dissatisfied with the final decision
of the trial court, appellant pursuant to leave of the Court filed notice of
appeal three years after the trial court’s final decision. Appellant prays the
court that “the conviction be set aside and … be acquitted and discharged or in
the alternative mitigation of the sentence”. Grounds of the appeal are that:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;a&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The [c]onviction was wrong and
unmerited <o:p></o:p>b&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The sentence was too har</main>