By Melissa Fortune, Outreach Officer Southern Province
Bo City, Kakua Chiefdom, 2nd September, 2023: The Resident High Court Judge in Bo District, Honourable Justice Abubakarr Sannoh presiding over cases in the ongoing “Access to Justice through Judicial Week,” has sentenced 6 Convicted persons and Discharged 8 for want of Prosecution.
The six Convicts: 22-year-old Pupil-Kadiatu Conteh, 29-year-old Driver-Barbar Kamara, 29-year-old Farmer-Amadu Momoh, 25-year-old Magician-Saidu Koroma and 22-year-old Vivian Ansu and 21-year-old Mohamed Kallon who were jointly charged, are part of five separate cases which were initially charged with Murder.
Following an Application made by the State Counsel, Augustine Sheku for amendment of the indictment, the charges were later reduced to Manslaughter and the jury discharged accordingly for which they all pleaded guilty.
Barbar Kamara was alleged to have on the 27th day of November 2020, hit the deceased who was a Commercial Bike Rider on the neck and hid his body in the nearby bush. The remains of the deceased were later found. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
Vivian and Mohamed were also found guilty of killing a Commercial Bike Rider, whom they had hired to take them to nearby village. The remains of the deceased were found in the bush. They were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each.
Convict Kadiatu also confessed to have put Caustic Soda in the food of her 1-year-6 months old baby which eventually killed the child because she was under pressure from her family members and was not receiving any kind of support from the baby’s father. She was sentenced to 10 years running from the day of her arrest.
Amadu confessed to have on the 15th January 2022, stabbed one Andrew Juana with a knife during a fight when he met the deceased at his ex-girlfriend’s house for which he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.
Magician, Saidu who also confessed to have stabbed his opponent (now the deceased) with a knife during a magical incantation at a traditional show for magicians on the 17th December 2021, was sentenced to 3 years.
Among the 8 cases discharged for Want of Prosecution are five (5) cases of sexual penetration, two (2) robbery and one (1) wounding with intent.
The sittings in Bo are part of other Court sittings of 23 Judges assigned across the Country by the Hon. Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards to handle 802 cases.
The Judicial Week is supported by the UNDP.
For more information, contact the Judiciary Communications on +23234617548/79101086 or follow us on www.judiciary.gov.sl or on all our social media platforms.