By Saio Marrah
Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road Court No.1 has remanded Musa Bangura, Abubakarr Conteh, James Langley, and William Harold Collins of Freetown for alleged robbery and assault.
The prosecution alleges that the four, arraigned 13th September 2023, aged between 27 and 33 robbed Sheku Kakay at 6 Bangs Drive Metchem, Goderich in the Western rural district of Sierra Leone. The properties stolen are valued at three hundred and twenty-three thousand, three hundred New Leones (NLe 323,300). The accused were also alleged to have assaulted Kakay and Abdulai Kallon at the same address.
Cpl. Augustine Ibrahim Kamara, formerly attached to the Breaking and Larceny Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters in Freetown, said on Monday 3rd April 2022, he was on duty when he received a file on robbery with aggravation from Lumley Police Station along with the third accused. He said the file contained statements made by the third accused and that there were two medical statements of Kakay and Kallon from Adonkia Police Station.
On the 5th of April, Kamara said that based on the testimony of the third accused a team of police officers arrested the 1st and 2nd accused, and on the 6th of April a team of officers went to the scene of the crime where the complainant showed them the route the alleged robbers used to enter the house. He said they took photographs of the place using the mobile phone of the complainant.
He said after applying for a Warrant of Arrest, they arrested the fourth accused on the 12th of June 2022 and that a statement was obtained from him on the same day.
The police witness said a black plastic bag was discovered at the scene of the crime containing one old gold chain, one old scissors, and other items which he said they believed were owned by the alleged robbers.
During a cross-examination, Kamara admitted that the third accused said in his statement that he did not enter the house where the incident occurred, but that he took others to the house as a commercial bike rider.
Under cross-examination by the second accused, Kamara admitted that he did not find any exhibit on him, but the police believe that a pair of slippers found in a plastic bag picked up at the scene of the crime belongs to the second accused because it fit him.
The police witness denied that he received a bribe to incriminate the second accused and told the court that the fourth accused’s name was mentioned during the investigation.
Lawyer C. Bah, representing the fourth accused, insisted that the first, second, and third accused said they did not know the fourth accused, but the witness rejected that.
The lawyer also insisted that the statement of the complainants indicated that three men attacked them, a suggestion that was also rejected by the police witness.
The four accused are facing four counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery with aggravation, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The case resumes on 20th September this year.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (15/09/23)
