By Saio Marrah
Prosecution Witness one (PW1), Alfred Ibrahim Conteh, has testified in a Preliminary Investigation (PI) at a Magistrate court in Freetown over an alleged murder in Waterloo that the accused, Alpha Kamara discharged a pepper spray on the deceased, Abu Bakarr Munu’s face when they were fighting.
He was testifying before Magistrate Mark Ngegba at the Pademba Road court No.1 on Wednesday 20th September 2023.
He said on the day of the incident, 14th August this year, he was at his business place, Kissi Town Waterloo at 2 a.m. when the accused complained to him that the deceased should return his gold necklace, which he had pawned to the deceased.
PW1 said when he told the deceased about the complaint against him, the deceased said he would only return the accused’s necklace when the accused returned his Two hundred and forty-thousand old Leones (Le 240) for the necklace.
He said the following day, the accused came to his shop, and he informed the accused about what the deceased told him.
The following day, after closing his shop, PW1 said he was on his way home when he saw the accused and the deceased fighting. “I then went there and tried to stop the fight but they could not listen, I then called for help because the accused was with his friends,” he further testified.
He also noted that other people around had wanted to separate the two, but that friends of the accused were busy preventing others from separating the two.
The PW1 added that during the course of the fight, one of the friends of the accused, who was in a police uniform, was busy videoing the scene.
He also told the court that the accused pulled out a pepper spray from his pocket and discharged its contents on the face of the deceased while holding on to him.
From that point, he said the deceased instantly gave up the fight and started wailing.
PW1 said he then took the deceased to a nearby pharmacy for treatment. He further noted that the accused continued fighting the deceased at that point.
According to PW1, when the accused realized that the deceased was not breathing properly, he stopped fighting the deceased and attempted to flee.
PW1 said he then called out for help from neighbours, who arrested the accused. From that point, PW1 said he reported the incident to the Kissi Town Police Post in Waterloo.
He said two police officers followed him to the scene, took the deceased to the police post and then to the Waterloo hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The witness also told the court that the remains of the deceased were taken to the Waterloo Police Station, where he (PW1) made a statement in relation to the incident and that police detained the accused.
During cross examination with Lawyer Hindolo Moiwo Gavao, PW1 said the accused and deceased were engaged in a physical fight and that the deceased was physically stronger than the accused.
He said there were five of the accused’s friends on the scene.
The accused is charged with one count of murder. The case will resume 28th September this year.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (22/09/23)
