Coining offences-Possession of
mould contrary to section
148 (3)
(c)
of
the Criminal Code; possession of
tools contrary to section
148 (3) (d) of the Criminal
Code; possession of more than
three .counterfeit
coins contrary to section
152 (3) of the Criminal Code
-Witnesses for prosecution at
preliminary investigation not
called
at trial-Sufficiency of
evidence-Discussion by Court.
Held: Appeal allowed and
convictions quashed.
C.
N. S. Pollard
for Crown. Appellant in person.
The Court allowed the appeal and
later gave its reasons m
writing.
There is no need to set out the
facts.
The following reasons for
judgment were jointly delivered
:-
KINGDON, C.J., NIGERIA, PETRIDES,
C.J., GOLD COAST, AND
BUTLER-LLOYD, J.
When we allowed this appeal we
announced we should give our
reasons for so doing.
Mr. Pollard, Crown Counsel,
stated he could not support the
conviction because :-
(a)
although some four witnesses,
besides those called at the
trial, had given evidence at the
preliminary inquiry, the trial
Judge acceded to the request of
the prosecution not to call
these four witnesses but to
offer them to the accused should
he wish to have their evidence.
(b)
although appellant was charged
on three counts with being in
possession at his house at
Otu-Jeremi on the 8th November,
1936, with four pieces of
counterfeit silver coin, knowing
them to be counterfeit with
intent to utter them, and of
certain apparatus adapted for
coining knowing them to be so
adapted, the trial Judge
admitted evidence that on the
7th November a bundle consisting
of a pair of bellows and a box
containing materials peculiar to
counterfeiters (Ex. " A ") had
been seized by P.C. David
Awosika at a house at Otan,
although there was not
sufficient evidence to show that
appellant was in the house or to
connect him with the bundle, and
(c)
that there was not sufficient
evidence that accused was
present at the house raided at.
Otu-Jeremi on the 8th' November
or that he was in control of the
room in which the coining
apparatus was found on that
date.
Lord Hewart, C.]., in the course
of the argument in the case of
Rex v. Dora Harris,
1927, 2 K.B.D. 587, observed:-
•• In civil cases the dispute is
between the parties and the
Judge mereiy keeps the ring, and
the parties need not calI
hostile witnesses, but in
criminal cases the prosecution
is bound to calI alI the materia!
witnesses before the Court, even
though they give inconsistent
accounts, in order that the
whole of the facts may be before
the jury .... "
In the 29th edition of
Archbold
it is stated at page 494: "
Although in strictness it is not
necessary for the prosecutor to
call every witness whose name is
on the back of the indictment,
it has been usual to do so, that
the defendant may cross':examine
them:
R. v. Simmonds,
1 C. & P. 84;
R. v. Beezley,
4 C. & P. 220;
R. v.
Bull, 9 C. & P. 22;
R. v. Vincent,
9 C. & P. 91;
R. v. Barley,
2 Cox 191." At page 495 of the
same authority a number of cases
are referred to in which it was
held that the prosecution was
not bound to call all witnesses,
but they ought to be available
so that the defence might call
them if it thought fit.
9
Halsbury
(2nd edition), paragraph 232,
reads :-
All the witnesses whose names
are on the back of the
indictment should be called by
the prosecution. Even if it is
not proposed to calL a witness
whose name is at the back of the
indictment, counsel for the
prosecution should. unless there
are reasons to the contrary,
place him in the witness-box so
that the defendant may have an
opportunity of cross-examining
him."
In our opmion this paragraph
contains a correct statement of
the usual and proper practice on
the point we are now
considering.
It is not necessary for this
Court to decide whether the
conviction should be quashed in
this case because the four
witnesses were not called by the
prosecution either for the
purpose of giving evidence or
giving the accused an
opportunity of
cross-examination, as it is
clear that the conviction cannot
be upheld on other grounds.
The accused was not charged with
any offence in respect of the
things found in Exhibit " A,"
and apart from the fact that
P.c. David Awosika stated that
accused resembled one of the two
men who were concerned with this
exhibit there is nothing to
connect the accused with any
offence in respect of that
exhibit. How then could the
production of the bellows and
other materials found at Otan on
the 7th November have any
bearing on the offence charged
which is alleged to have been
committed the next day at
Otu-Jeremi? We can see no link
between the two offences except
that the discovery of Ex. "A"
led to inquiries which resulted
in the finding of the articles,
the subject-matter of this
charge.