KWASI REINDORF vs. THE REPUBLIC [2021]DLCA10806

Date	2021-06-24
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: H1/64/2021
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA10806

A. M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS) J. A. PRESIDING

A. B. POKU-ACHEAMPONG

J. A.

S. K. A. ASIEDU J. A.

STEPHEN NSIAH OPOKU FOR APPELLANT

BENEDICTA ANTWI (ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY) FOR RESPONDENT.

[2021]DLCA10806
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KWASI REINDORF<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, KUMASI]<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>STEPHEN
NSIAH OPOKU FOR 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="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;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">BENEDICTA ANTWI (ASSISTANT STATE
ATTORNEY) FOR RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>A. M. DOMAKYAAREH
(MRS) J. A. PRESIDING, A. B. POKU-ACHEAMPONG, J. A., S. K. A. ASIEDU J. A. <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<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;POKU-ACHEAMPONG,
J.A.:<o:p></o:p>This
is an appeal against the summing up and thus the judgment of the High Court Kumasi
dated 18th July 2016. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Kwasi
Reindorf the Appellant was charged with the offence of murder contrary to
section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, Act 29.&nbsp; The particulars of offence are that on the 30th
day of December, 2011 at Bomfa-Achiase in the Ashanti Region he intentionally
caused the death of Akwasi Agyakwa by unlawful harm. &nbsp;<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Facts:<o:p></o:p>The Appellant
was a trader who owned a provision shop at Bomfa-Achiase in Asante Akyem where
he lived. The deceased also lived at Bomfa-Achiase in the Ashanti Region.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;On
the 30th of December, 2011 the Appellant engaged in an unlawful
fight with the deceased and stabbed him. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;On
the day of the incident a witness in the case had gone to the Appellant at his
shop to talk about Appellant’s conduct in the Bomfa-Achiase town when the
deceased walked by the shop. The Appellant then shouted or exclaimed “it is you
I am looking for”.&nbsp; The deceased then
responded that “if I am the one you are looking for then come.” Appellant
challenged the deceased to a fight and before the deceased could respond the Appellant
pounced on him and stabbed him.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;An
eye witness to the incident PW2 testified that the Appellant used a cutlass to
inflict the wounds. The Appellant on his part claimed that he used a knife to
stab the deceased. The deceased bled profusely and was rushed to the hospital
by witnesses to the incident. He was pronounced dead on arrival. A mob gathered
and attempted to lynch the Appellant.&nbsp; He
was rescued by some Unit Committee members of the Bomfa-Achiase town who had
been called to the scene of the incident. The mob however caused damage to the
shop of the Appellant. The Appellant was handed over to the Police together
with the knife he allegedly used to stab the deceased.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Appellant
on his part admitted stabbing the deceased but said he did so in self defence. Appellant
claims that he and his wife Rebecca and his two year old son were attacked at
his shop on that day by a gang in the town known as Al-Qaeda led by their gang
leader John Kofi Asare popularly called “Teacher”. The gang which was violent
and held offensive weapons including machetes, subjected him the Appellant and
his family to vicious attacks and assaults.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;According
to Appellant, Akwasi Agyakwa alias King, the deceased suffered his untimely
death during the activities of the gang which took place in darkness after the
gang had disconnected power supply to the Appellant’s shop.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The
Pathologist PW4 testified that the wounds inflicted on the deceased were caused
by an object in the cutlass range. The P</main>