Appeal
Court. 12th Jan.,
1938. Case Stated by High
Court.
Possession' by night of
instruments of housebreaking
contra.
Section
417 (c) of Criminal
Code-Admissibility in evidence
of previous convictions.
C.
N. S. Pollard
for Crown. Appellant not
present.
The following joint opinion was
delivered:-
KINGDON, C.J., NIGERIA, BUTLER
LLOYD
AND CAREY, JJ.
This is a case stated for the
opinion of the West African
Court of Appeal by the Jude of
the Kaduna-Makurdi Judicial
Division.
The Judge held as follows:~
" (a)
a previous conviction must not
be brought to the notice of the
Court (except where under the
law of evidence it is
permissible to do so) unless it
forms an essential ingredient of
the offence, and that
(b)
the prisoner cannot be sentenced
under the sub-section imposing
the increased sentence unless
the fact that he is liable· .to
the enhanced penalty has brought
to his notice before he was
called on to plead, but that
(c)
a practice by which the accused
is given notice in writing that
it is intended to give evidence
of previous convictions-these
should be set out in
detail-which renders the
prisoner if he pleads guilty or
is convicted by a finding of
guilty liable to an increased
penalty would be
'unobjectionable, and that
(d)
the Court would in such case
feel justified in using the
special sub-section in suitable
cases for the purpose of
sentence."
And our opinion is desired as to
whether the above decisions are
correct in law.
We are of opinion that
sub-paragraph
(b)
is a correct statement of the
law but sub-paragraph
(a)
is incorrect in stating that
previous convictions with
certain exceptions must not be
brought to the notice of the
Court. The rule is that with the
same exceptions previous
convictions must not be brought
to the notice of the jury, and
although of necessity the Judge
may be himself performing the
functions of a jury the rule
does not apply to him.
This being the rule it is the
duty of the Judge in a case
where liability to increased
punishment depends on the proof
of previous convictions to
inform the accused as part of
the charge that it is proposed
to 'prove these convictions
against him.
the practice to which
sub-paragraphs
(c)
and
(d)
refer is therefore unnecessary.