THE REPUBLIC vs. GODWIN HOVEY BAHEY [2023]DLHC16976

Date	2023-03-27
Suit No.	CASE NO. F22/14/2023
Citation No.	[2023]DLHC16976

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE GEORGE BUADI

ANTHONY GHATTIE

[2023]DLHC16976
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>

(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>

vs.<o:p></o:p>

[HIGH
COURT, TEMA]<o:p></o:p>

&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;&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; <o:p></o:p>

<a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>CASE NO. F22/14/2023&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: 27TH MARCH 2023<o:p></o:p>

</div>

COUNSEL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

ANTHONY GHATTIE (ASSISTANT
STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>

</div>

CORAM<o:p></o:p>

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE GEORGE
BUADI <o:p></o:p>

JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>

Upon leave of the Court
dated 31 January 2023, and pursuant to the Criminal &amp; Offences
(Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30) s. 326, the appellant filed the notice of
petition/appeal a week later 9 Feb. 2023. The appeal is not against his conviction for the charges
of unlawful entry,
stealing, and causing
unlawful damage contrary to the Criminal Offences Act,
1960 (Act 29) i.e. sections 152, 124(1) and 172(b) respectively but rather
against the respective sentences of “3 years,
2 years, and 2
years IHL [to run] consecutively”
(Emphasis added).<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

The Appellant is
unrepresented by counsel. His appeal processes were put together by a Prison Warden
Officer. Strictly on the face of
the papers, the appeal is against
the sentence that he claims the court
directed to run consecutively, and also for mitigation thereof on grounds that he is “a
first-time offender; handed 3 warrants out of two dockets, [and that] he had
served 3 and half of the 7 years imposed by the trial judge”.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

The facts redolent on the
appeal papers before me are that the appellant has had two previous convictions
besides his conviction in this present suit of the same charges. The other two
previous cases just like this present case were before the Keta Circuit Court
consolidated as CC 103/2019 on the
same charges of unlawful entry, stealing, and causing unlawful damage contrary
to law.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

Finding the appellant
guilty after a full trial, and convicting him of the three counts, this is what the learned
trial judge wrote:
“[a] accused has been convicted
in two cases but he is yet to commence
serving the sentence”. (Emphasis added).
Pleading leniency after his conviction by the trial court prior to the court’s
sentence, the appellant stated that his family has paid the victim complainant
for the loss of the stolen items. This is what the learned trial judge wrote in
his sentence:<o:p</main>