CHARLES TWUMASI vs. THE REPUBLIC [2020]DLCA8568

Date	2020-02-13
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H2/24/2018
Citation No.	[2020]DLCA8568

ADJEI J.A. (PRESIDING)

SOWAH J.A.

AMADU-TANKO J.A.

SAANI MAHMOUD ABDUL-RASHEED FOR APPELLANT

SEFAKOR BATSE(PSA) FOR REPUBLIC/RESPONDENT

[2020]DLCA8568
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >CHARLES TWUMASI<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CIVIL APPEAL NO.:&nbsp; H2/24/2018&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;DATE: 13TH FEB, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>SAANI MAHMOUD ABDUL-RASHEED FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

SEFAKOR
BATSE(PSA) FOR REPUBLIC/RESPONDENT<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

ADJEI J.A.
(PRESIDING), SOWAH J.A., AMADU-TANKO J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

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

</div>ADJEI,
J.A<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The appeal before
this Court emanated from the judgment on appeal delivered by the High Court
Accra against the decision of the Circuit Court, Accra. The charge sheet which
initiated the criminal proceedings before the Circuit Court Accra was filed on
8th November, 2013. Two accused persons were charged for having defiled the
victim, Tabitha Aggrey, a female who was then twelve years old. The first
accused person did not appear in Court to take part of the proceedings. The
second accused person, the Appellant in this appeal took part in the
proceedings and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to a term of ten
years. 
 
<span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The facts of the
case as presented by the prosecution before the trial Circuit Court Accra were
that the victim then aged twelve years was a class six pupil in the Children's
World International School at Bubuashie. The first accused person was a teacher
in the School while the second accused person was also an accounts clerk in the
School. One morning in June 2012, the victim made use of the school urinal and when
returning to her classroom, she was spotted by the first accused person who
told her to go and clean the teachers' toilet. As soon as the victim entered
the teachers' toilet, the first accused person followed her, locked up the
toilet, had sex with her and warned her not to disclose the affair to anybody
else she would not see her mother again.&nbsp; On one Wednesday in September,
2012 the victim went to the accounts office to pay her feeding fees and met the
second accused person; the accounts clerk for the school who placed the victim
on his laps and had sex with her. The victim did not disclose to anyone until
she was one day bathing with her sister who detected physical changes on her
body and informed their mother. Her mother took her a nearby clinic on 1st
November, 2012 and a pregnancy test conducted on her revealed that she was
pregnant for twenty weeks. A report was made to the police and the second
accused person was arrested while the first accused person absconded. 
<span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">&nbsp;The prosecution called four witnesses;
they are Doris Aggrey, mother of the victim; Tabitha Ewura Ama Aggrey, the
victim; Sylvia Evelyn Appiah, headmistress of Children's World International
School, where the victim was a pupil and; Detective Lance Corporal Ransford
Odei Djaba, the investigator in the matter. The Appellant herein gave evidence
from the witness box and did not call any witness. At the close of the case,
the trial Circuit Court Judge convicted the Appellant of defilement and sentenced
him to ten years in hard labour. The Appellant dissatisfied with his conviction
and sentence appealed to the High Court Accra. The Appellant filed his petition
of appeal to the High Court on 3rd April 2014. The three grounds of appeal
filed by the Appellant against the Circuit Court’s decision were that the
judgement was unreasonable and not supported by the evidence on record, the
trial Circuit Court erred&nbsp; by convicting the Appellant when the
prosecution failed to make a case against him, and, finally, the sentence was
harsh and excessive. The High Court on 17th May, 2017 affirmed the conviction
by the Circuit Court and enhanced the sentence of ten years imprisonment to
fifteen years.&nbsp; The Appellant dissatisfied with both conviction and
sentence by the High Court filed his notice of appeal against same to this Court
on 13th November, 2017. The three grounds containe</main>