By Saio Marrah
A Magistrate in Freetown conducting preliminary investigations into a murder case at Sumaila Town in Freetown has insisted that the police prosecution must produce a factual witness or he will discharge the accused in the case.
Magistrate Mark Ngegba said this after the acting police prosecutor Sergeant M. Lahai presented his formal police witness in court. The magistrate stopped the witness from taking the stand, insisting that the prosecution must start with their factual witness. He repeated the warning that “if the police prosecution does not have a factual witness on the next adjourned date; I am going to discharge this matter”. The court was meeting for the fourth time since the commencement of the preliminary investigation.
Chief Superintendent of Police, Joan Bull, who is in charge of Legal Affairs of the Sierra Leone Police threatened to take action against the Police for delaying the investigation and promised to report the matter to the Inspector General of Police.
21-year-old Salamatu Conteh who appeared in court in a white hijab, and a blue gown is facing one count of murder, accused of killing the deceased at their family house, 18A Sumaila town in Freetown on the 16th of July 2023.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (06/10/23)
