By Saio Marrah
Sergeant Abdul Francis Morlu attached to the Bo Police Division, has denied suggestions that police officers planted a weapon on Alpha Sheriff commonly known as APC Sheriff, in an ongoing alleged illegal possession of small arms case at a Magistrate Court in Freetown.
Under cross-examination by Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara the witness testified saying he was on duty when he received a call from the Assistant Inspector General of Police in the south Brima Kanneh, saying that a vehicle had bulldozed the Falla checkpoint just outside Bo City. He also denied that the AIG told him to target the first accused, but they only gave chase to the vehicle that bulldozed the checkpoint while admitting that he did not see the vehicle bulldozing the checkpoint.
Sergeant Morlu told the court that he was seeing the pistol for the first time when it was shown to him for identification.
Lead in by Joan M. S. Bull, the witness said regular officers headed for the checkpoint together with Operational Support officers and the vehicle had already broken down with its engine being inspected. He said the first accused Alpha Sheriff was identified as the leader of the group in the vehicle and that the group denied bulldozing the checkpoint.
According to him, he then obtained permission from the AIG to conduct a search on all the nine accused during which he discovered a pistol, a dagger, and a black jacket with an American flag and other security regalia which they subsequently handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Bo Police Division for investigation.
Also cross-examined was Sub Inspector Mohamed Wai who told the court that there were four bags of rice in the vehicle and that they lodged them together with the vehicle in the care of the OSD.
Defence lawyer Joseph Kamara suggested that the police did not bring the bags of rice to court as part of the evidence because they had “chopped” it and that the police chose what exhibit to bring to court to which the witness replied saying, “we bring what we think is offensive”.
The witness denied that there were 16 helmets in the vehicle, which the police sold to commercial bike riders and that there were two gallons of oil in the vehicle.
The witness also told the court that he did not find any ammunition during the search.
While the first accused was separately charged with illegal possession of small arms, he together with the other eight accused face other two counts of illegal operation of private security service, and having control of small arms.
The case resumes on the 7th of August 2023.
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