Judge Advocate Otto During, who presides over the Court Martial trying 14 alleged mutineers, yesterday sent to prison the crime reporter of Politico Newspaper, Aminata Phidelia Allie, for contempt of court.
This is the first time anyone can remember that a female journalist has been sent to prison in Sierra Leone in her line of duty, through a judicial process.
This followed an application on Friday made by state prosecutor, Gerald Soyie, for the entire Politico editorial team to appear before the court yesterday to answer to a charge of contempt arising out of a feature article published on 6 August, 2014.
The judge discharged the editor-in-chief, Umaru Fofana, the associate editor, Isaac Massaquoi and subeditor, Joseph Lamin Kamara, with instructions that a retraction and an apology be made in three subsequent editions of the newspaper and copies be served on the court.
With respect to Aminata, the writer, the Judge Advocate said she must be held to take personal responsibility for her work and therefore sentenced her to seven days in prison.
The reduced penalty came as result of pleas by the lead defence solicitor, Roland R.V. Wright as she was to be jailed for 21 days.
Also part of the defence team was lawyer Ronald Gidiwani.
“My lord Aminata is a single parent with a three-year-old daughter. She has learnt her lessons,” Wright earlier appealed.
Politico editor, Umaru Fofana has expressed sadness over the jailing of Phidelia.
"I wish our lawyer's plea for a reprimand - with an apology and retraction - would have carried the day" he said.
(C) Politico 12/08/14
