BODJE V. THE STATE

MILLS-ODOI J.S.C.

The appellant was convicted by a jury before Akiwumi J. sitting at the criminal session of the High Court held at Sekondi on 14 March 1963, for the murder of one Naejetey Okoshie, a school girl about nine years of age, at Apimanim village.

The appellant did not deny killing the young girl but he raised as a defence the issue of the state of his mind at the material time. The real contest between the state and the appellant therefore was upon the issue of the alleged insanity, and upon this the facts placed before the jury were as follows:

On the morning of 27 November 1962, for no reason which could be assigned, the appellant inflicted several severe cutlass wounds on Naejetey Okoshie, the deceased. No one witnessed the savage act of the appellant by which the deceased was hacked to death and the prosecution had to rely solely on the statement which the appellant made to the police, four days after the incident, confessing to the killing of the deceased and one other p…