The Defence

Highbury Corner Magistrates at Islington was one of my haunts in those heady days of Criminal Law practice, together with Camberwell Magistrates in South London, and Thames Magistrates at Bow Road in the East. I also sometimes strayed off my usual stomping grounds and headed to West London to attend juvenile court in Hammersmith, and right across London to places as far apart as Hendon, Westminster or Bromley, wherever my instructions required that I attend.

Criminal Law was always my favourite since from being a law student all those decades ago. And it was criminal defence, not prosecution. An unsuccessful attempt to join the Crown Prosecution Service as a prosecutor only reinforced this thought in my mind that I enjoyed being a criminal defence lawyer; visiting my clients when they were in police custody, or in prison - Wandsworth Prison, Brixton Prison, Wormwood Scrubs, Pentonville - getting to know them; seeking the most favourable outcomes for them, even when I knew they were guilty as hell. I guess there was a naughty side of me that took delight in this - siding with the bad guys, well, sort of.

Later when I moved on to more desk-bound roles, although equally intense and stressful - but better remunerated, the work was not quite as exciting, as, for example, springing my client out of jail who had been in custody for months and denied bail repeatedly; or successfully arguing for a suspended sentence for my client, even though I knew they deserved to be sent to prison. My overseas training was advantageous, because it came with the advocacy skills of a barrister that solicitors who are trained solely in England and Wales do not normally possess. I was involved in several Crown Court matters as well, the court where the more serious cases are tried, and where I sat behind barristers whom I had instructed. 

Given the limited audience rights of a solicitor in England, namely, audience rights limited to the lower courts, tribunals, panels, and so on, it is those lower court cases, especially some particularly fierce cross-examinations of prosecution witnesses that have remained in my thoughts for longer, since the advocacy itself was always my stronger side. 

Berekum, Ghana

The Berekum roundabout is a roundabout in the city of Berekum, Ghana. The roundabout is located on the main Berekum-Sunyani Highway. The statue of the woman with a baby on her back and a basket on her head is the most iconic symbol of this pleasant regional city.

Based on oral tradition there were three Akan people groups who originally migrated and settled in the area now known as Berekum. The first branch to arrive, known as the Awasu people, are said to be migrants from Denkyira now residing in Biadan. (I visited Biadan yesterday).

Berekum, nicknamed "The Golden City", is the capital of Berekum East Municipal in the Bono Region of Ghana. The city had a population of 62,364 as of 2012. The native language of the Berekum people is the Bono Twi. This nickname of Golden City was coined by Queen Elizabeth II upon her arrival here on the invitation of then President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, during her visit to this country shortly after its independence. The name has stuck since.

The city is located in the Berekum Traditional Area in which the paramount chief or the Omanhene is Daasebre Dr. Amankona Diawuo II.

These photos of the roundabout were taken from a moving vehicle yesterday, but I've walked past it several times, mostly in the evenings. Berekum is 32 km from Sunyani, which is close to where I'd had my first month-long sojourn in Ghana just over a decade ago. These regional towns and cities offer a more intimate appreciation of life in Ghana.