The High Court of Sierra Leone has commenced a Special Criminal Session in the Northern District of Port Loko. The Court which is being presided over by Hon. Justice S. O Taylor has a total of 72 Cases of which the bulk of Accused Persons have been in Detention at the various Correctional Centers across the Country for not less than 6 months.
As outlined by the Public Relations Officer at the Sierra Leone Judiciary Moses Lamin Kamara, these Cases include Larceny Cattle, House Breaking, Sexual Penetration, Wounding with Intent and Murder. There are 9 Murder Offences with 12 Accused Persons while Sexual Penetration and related Offences accounts for up to 25 Matters. He said the rationale for the conduct of such Special Courts across the Country is based on the desire of the Hon.
Chief Justice who is to ensures that Court Matters are speedily determined, so as to help Accused Persons know their fate. He informed the Public Gallery that it is better for the fate of an Accused to have his or her matter determined speedily instead of continuing to be placed in detention especially in an instance where the Accused is not guilty of the offence for which is being detained. The Public Relations Officer was commending the apparent cooperation of Court Officials and Witnesses in his remarks at the start of this Special Court Session.
Mr. Aruna Jalloh is the State Counsel for the Northern Region and has over a dozen Cases for trial. He has had cause to apply for certain matters to be tried by Judge alone instead of Judge and Jury in a bid to ensure that the Proceedings are fast tracked as this Special Session is slated for only 2 Weeks. One of the Matters so far mentioned had to do with Conspiracy in which 3 Persons appeared on each. The first matter had Safiatu Kamara, Thomas Sankoh aka ‘Tom pays’ and Osman Marah alias ‘Lancaster’ as Accused Persons. They appeared on a 6 Count Charge and only the 1st. Accused Safiatu Kamara that did not plead guilty.
The Particulars of Offence have it that all the aforementioned Persons Conspired with others unknown, to commit a Felony. They are said to have assaulted Abass Kamara with intent to rob him of his Commercial TVS Star Sport Motorbike. According to the State Counsel, the incident occurred on 7th March 2020 at Kambia in Port Loko City. He said the Accused Persons maliciously damaged the Motorbike in question and wounded Abass Kamara with the intent to do him grievous bodily harm. He said Count 5 which is Carrying Offensive Weapon without reasonable excuse, was only for the 2nd Accused Thomas Sankoh aka ‘Thompay’.
The Prosecution also made mention of some Murder Matters. They include Zainab Kamara who is standing trial for the murder of her very Child – a girl below the age of 1 year, Abu Bakarr Kamra aka ‘White Boy’ and Morlai Bangura aka ‘Boika’- who are said to have conspired to murder one Osman Lamin Kamara on 17th February 2020 at Baimoi Luma in the Magbema Chiefdom Kambia District.
The Court has made substantial progress on the cases of Zainab Bangura the mother who is on trial for the murder of her child and Alimamy Sankoh who was allegedly murdered by Alimamy Sasay in Port Loko City on 7th. July 2020. The Prosecution has led several Witnesses including the Medical Doctors who separately examined the bodies of both the Girl child and Alimamy Sankoh.
For instance the State Counsel has already addressed the Jury on the aspect of Murder and a judgment is expected early this week. In the case of Zainab Bangura, Mr. Aruna Jalloh said the murder of the Child Mary Kanu occurred at Royaima in the Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom on 14th. Day of December 2019. He said the duty of the Prosecution is to prove that the Accused Zainab Bangura was of sound mind and decision at the time of the incident. He said the offence has to do with the unlawful killing of a reasonable creature in being who was under the Peace of the President. He said Mary Kanu now deceased, died as a result of what the Accused did to her. He therefore admonished the Jury to assess the evidence adduced in Court and return a just verdict.
The Testimonies of almost all those that testified in this matter suggests that the Accused intentionally dumped the Child in Water well and went to spend the night with a friend in the neighborhood. Zainab Rasheed Kamara a 9 year old girl was the first to testify. She said she is a 9 year old girl who lived at the same Address with the Accused who doubles as her Aunt.
She explained how the Accused stopped her from closing one of the Doors to the House on the night of the incident and how she later saw the Accused carrying the Child on her hands out of the back door of the house. The Witness said she was told by the Accused that she was going to dump the Child into the Water well when she enquired and even threatened to do the same to her or administer a poison on her if she discloses her deed to anyone else.
The 3rd Prosecuting Witness was Hawanatu Kamara the woman with whom the Accused spent the night after the incident. She told the Court how the Accused went to inform her that the Child slipped from her back while trying to fetch some water from the Well and got drowned but that she had not alarmed the incident. The Witness said she turned the Accused over to the Neighbors the following and was subsequently arrested. The Investigating Officer Detective Sergeant 12059 Kargbo has also testified in this matter.
He said the depth of the Water well where the deceased was found is about 8 to10 feet and he was one of those who conveyed the Corpse to the Government Hospital in Lungi for postmortem examinations. He said the Accused made a confession that she killed the Child because she was distressed by the father of the child who refused to take care of the now deceased. The Accused was quoted to have stated that ‘something entered into her and demanded for the child to be given to it’ an instruction she obeyed before the thing disappeared.
Meanwhile the Medical Officer at the Port Loko Government Dr. Gadri Musa has testified in the Matter of Alimamy Sankoh for which Alimamy Sesay is charged with the offence of Murder. He said the deceased died of hemorrhagic shock owing to profuse bleeding of some punctured blood vessels. He said the deceased Alimamy Sankoh had 4 deep laceration wounds on the neck and back of his body. A better version of the case was outlined by Abass Sorie Bangura of No. 1 New Site by the Alama Bridge in Port Loko City. In his capacity as 1st. Prosecution Witness, he recognized the Accused – Alimamy Sesay and recalled the 7th.July 2020 which is the date of the incident. He said there was an argument between the Accused and the Deceased which developed to a fight and resulted to multiple stab wounds inflected on the Deceased by the Accused. He said the Accused even attempted to stab him when he tried to separate them.
The Witness said the Accused was shouting ‘Angola War’ while inflecting the wounds on the Deceased. Mr. Mohamed Kori of the Legal Aid Board of Sierra Leone is the lead for the Defense Team. He said they are convenient with the Proceedings and are sure to make headway.
One of the outstanding challenges at this Special Court Holding is to conclude all the 72 Cases within the prescribed 2 weeks despite the dutifulness of all Parties. Below are some photos the enable you have a feel of how the ongoing Court is progressing in the City of Port Loko
