MARVIN AMPONSAH vs . THE REPUBLIC [2019]DLCA6933

Date	2019-07-31
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL SUIT NO.: H1/33/2019
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA6933

P. K. GYAESAYOR JA (PRESIDING)

AVRIL LOVELACE-JOHNSON JA

CECILIA SOWAH JA

BAABA AVIO FOR APPELLANT

FRANCES M. ANSAH (MRS.) PSA FOR RESPONDENT

[2019]DLCA6933
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MARVIN
AMPONSAH<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, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CRIMINAL APPEAL SUIT NO.:
H1/33/2019&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; DATE:&nbsp;&nbsp; 31ST JULY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>BAABA AVIO FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

FRANCES
M. ANSAH (MRS.) PSA FOR RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>P. K. GYAESAYOR JA
(PRESIDING), AVRIL LOVELACE-JOHNSON JA, CECILIA SOWAH JA<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>GYAESAYOR, JA<o:p></o:p>The
appellant herein is one of five accused’s person tried in the High Court for
the offences of conspiracy to rob and robbery contrary to Sections 23(1) and
Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, Act 29 of 1960.<o:p></o:p>He
is the sole appellant in this appeal.&nbsp;
The judgment convicting the appellant is dated 12th March
2014.&nbsp; This appellant was sentenced to 20
years 1HL on count 1 and 50 years 1HL on count 2.<o:p></o:p>It
appears from the record that appellant did not engage services of counsel to
assist him at the trial and conducted his defence by himself.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The
brief facts of the case are that appellant together with the other convicts met
at the Tema roundabout upon their agreement to undertake a robbery expedition
at Mepe Rural Bank in the Volta Region.&nbsp;
Upon the agreement some of the appellant and one Awudu seized a ford
explorer from the owner and with an Opel Vectra saloon car belonging to the
appellant herein drove together to Mepe to rob the rural bank.&nbsp; They had guns, knives and other offensive
weapons with which they undertook the operation.&nbsp; They were able to take away an amount
13,061.00<o:p></o:p>Upon
their arrest all the accused then mentioned 1st accused a policeman
as their leader who drove the car provided by 2nd accused to Sege
where he handed the vehicle and weapons to appellant to continue the journey.&nbsp; The appellant and others were arrested and
charged with the offences.&nbsp; The appellant
who was 2nd accused in the trial stated the following as his grounds
of appeal: -<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the conviction and
sentence is against the weight of evidence.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the statement
attributed to appellant was suborned and not voluntarily given.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the learned trial
judge failed to give a ruling in the mini trial amounts to mistrial and the
conviction and sentence ought to set aside.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the appellant’ plea
of abibi was ignored in convicting and sentencing him.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>