How angry judge slaps police officer with death sentence after he seeks reduction of 25-year jail term

Nii Ayitey Brown 16:44 - 07 April 2026

A case narrated by Sackey reveals how an appeal by his accomplice Yaya led to a 25-year prison sentence being upgraded to a death penalty, highlighting risks within Ghana’s justice system.

What began as a bid for freedom ended in the harshest possible outcome. A Ghanaian police officer, Sackey, has recounted how an attempt to overturn his accomplice’s 25-year jail term ended with the sentence being upgraded to death, after an appeal process that took a devastating turn.

According to Sackey’s narration, in an interview with NAK Media, he and his accomplice, Yaya, were both convicted over a serious criminal offence.

At the time, the trial court handed down different punishments: Sackey was sentenced to death, while Yaya received a 25-year prison term.

Years later, after serving a significant portion of his sentence of 10 years, Both men decided to challenge the ruling at the appellate court, seeking a reduction or possible acquittal. But the outcome was far from what they had hoped for.

When the case was reviewed, the appellate court reassessed the evidence and the sentencing.

Instead of reducing the punishment, the judge was triggered at the fact that both indulged in the crime but wanted to still appeal and therefore imposed a death sentence on both.

Yaya’s 25-year sentence was replaced with a death sentence, bringing it in line with Sackey’s earlier punishment. In that moment, what had started as a legal lifeline became a turning point for the worse.

Such outcomes, though uncommon, are within the powers of appellate courts. In Ghana’s judicial system, higher courts are not limited to correcting errors, they can also review whether a sentence was too lenient and adjust it accordingly.

In serious offences such as murder or armed robbery, that reassessment can sometimes result in harsher penalties.

The case, as narrated by Sackey, has since become a stark reminder of the risks tied to appeals.

While they remain a constitutional right, they are not without consequence. Every appeal reopens both conviction and sentencing to fresh scrutiny.

Both men were granted a presidential pardon on January 12, 2001 after serving 16 years of their time.

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