AUGUSTINE CRENSTIL ARTHUR vs. THE REPUBLIC [2024]DLHC17296

Date	2024-01-24
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL F22/26/2023
Citation No.	[2024]DLHC17296

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN-MARK NUKU ALIFO

DANIEL GOTIBAH AMOSAH ESQ.

LUCY BOISON ESQ. (SA)

CLARA MENSAH-AGBOH ESQ.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[2024]DLHC17296</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">AUGUSTINE
CRENSTIL ARTHUR<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">[HIGH COURT, CAPE COAST]<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<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"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">SUIT NUMBER: CRIMINAL APPEAL F22/26/2023&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE:
24<sup>TH</sup> JANUARY, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:150%;tab-stops:186.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">DANIEL GOTIBAH AMOSAH ESQ. FOR THE APPELLANT<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:150%;tab-stops:186.0pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">LUCY BOISON ESQ.
(SA) HOLDING THE BRIEF OF CLARA MENSAH-AGBOH ESQ. (SA) FOR RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black .5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN-MARK NUKU ALIFO “J”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;tab-stops:71.25pt center 234.0pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">&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; JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">This is a Criminal
Appeal against the Judgment of the Circuit Court dated delivered by Her Honour
Dorinda Smith Arthur (Mrs.) on the 7<sup>th of </sup>October 2020. The
Appellant was arranged before the trial court and charged on one count of defilement,
contrary to Section 101 (2) of the Criminal Offenses Act 1960(Act 29).<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The appellant pleaded
guilty simpliciter to the charge at the trial and was convicted on his own plea
and sentenced to serve 10 years imprisonment with Hard Labour.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">GROUNDS OF APPEAL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">Being aggrieved by
the conviction, Appellant files the present appeal on the following grounds;<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol style="margin-top:0cm" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
     justify;line-height:150%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:
     12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
     Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The Trial Judge erred in convicting
     the appellant before determining his age when the same was stated on the
     charge sheet.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
     mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">That the
     sentence is harsh and excessive having regard to the fact that he is a
     young offender, that he pleaded guilty simpliciter and was remorseful.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">BRIEF FACTS</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The facts of the
case as presented by the Prosecution is as follows;<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">Complainant
Barikisu Mustapha is a Trader living at Jackson Street, a suburb of Cape Coast
with the survivor Rashidatu Mustapha, a class 5 pupil aged 13 years old. A1 now
the Appellant; Augustine Crentsil Arthur alias Kabil aged 17 years is a student
and lives at Bakaano, Cape Coast. On 2<sup>nd </sup>October 2020, there were
mourners in the complainant’s house for a funeral wake keeping. At about 9:00 pm,
survivor who was among those people in the house suddenly disappeared and came
back later in the night. <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">On the 3<sup>rd </sup>of
October 2020 at about 9:30 pm, the Appellant and A2 called Baba went to the
house of the complainant and lured the survivor to board their tricycle and
quickly sent her to Appellant’s brother's room near Cape Coast Municipal
Building. In the said room, A1 pounced on the survivor who was then seated on
the bed. He raised her dress and removed her pants, managed to pull his Jeans
trousers down to his knee level and inserted his erected penis into her vagina
and had sexual intercourse with her until ejaculation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>