By Saio Marrah
A Defence Lawyer, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, has told a Magistrate Court in Freetown that a Police statement tendered in court was not the one made by his client.
Kamara said this at the Pademba Road Magistrate court in Freetown on Monday 14th August 2023 whilst representing Alpha Sheriff and eight others in connection to illegal possession of small arms and operating an illegal private security service.
He was referring to the 45-year-old seventh accused, Abdul Karim Mans’ statement presented to the court which the lawyer contested after having a short conference with his client, who was standing alongside the other accused.
This all happened when Exhibit Clerk, Detective Sergeant Mack Fawundu from the Criminal Investigations Department(CID) in Freetown tendered to the court what the prosecution described as “voluntary statements” by all the accused.
Kamara also told the court that the fourth accused, Amadu Conteh, doubted the thumb print ascribed to his voluntary statement.
Meanwhile, another Police Exhibit Clerk, Detective Sergeant Sorie Ibrahim Kamara, in the same proceeding, admitted to the court that bullets were not given to him as part of the exhibit. This was after he had argued in court last Monday that the pistol together with bullets had been tendered in court.
In the matter, a former US Marine and first accused, Alpha Sheriff was separately charged over illegal possession of small arms, and together with the other eight accused face two counts of illegal operation of private security service, and having control of small arms. The case resumes Thursday 17th August 2023.
All the accused were arrested in Bo after the vehicle they were travelling in allegedly smashed through a police checkpoint.
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