By Saio Marrah
A 22-year-old convict Kaidatu Conteh has confessed at a High Court in Bo, Southern Sierra Leone that she put caustic soda onto the food of her one-year and six-month-old baby, who eventually died.
Ms. Conteh, according to a report by the communication unit of the judiciary of Sierra Leone told the Court before Justice Abubakarr Sannoh on Saturday 2nd September 2023 that she resorted to committing the act because she was under pressure from her family members.
According to her, she was also not receiving any kind of support from the baby’s father. The convict was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment spanning from 20th May 2022, at the time of her arrest.
In separate cases, the presiding judge sentenced other five convicts arraigned on manslaughter count and discharged eight.
A 29-year-old Driver-Barbar Kamara was sentenced to 20 years after being found guilty of killing a commercial bike rider on the 27th of November 2020, by hitting him on the neck and hiding the body in the nearby bush. The remains of the deceased were discovered later.
A 22-year-old Vivian Ansu and 21-year-old Mohamed Kallon were also jointly found guilty of killing a Commercial Bike Rider whom they had hired to take them to a nearby village. The remains of the deceased were found in the bush. They were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each.
Another 29-year-old Farmer, Amadu Momoh, who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, was said to have confessed that on 15 January 2022, he stabbed to death one Andrew Juana with a knife during a fight when he met the deceased at his ex-girlfriend's house.
A 25-year-old Magician-Saidu Koroma, who also confessed to having stabbed his opponent (now deceased) with a knife during a magic display at a magical show on the 17th of December 2021, was sentenced to 3 years.
All the six accused were said to have been initially charged with murder, but following an application made by the State Counsel, Augustine Sheku for amendment of the indictments, the charges were later reduced to Manslaughter. The jury discharged them accordingly, after they all pleaded guilty.
Among the eight cases discharged for want of prosecution and no evidence were five cases of sexual penetration, two robberies, and one wounding with intent.
According to judiciary officials, the judicial week which lasts for two weeks is aimed at ensuring unhindered access to justice and to decongest the correctional centres across the country.
The UNDP-funded initiative sits 23 Judges across the country to deal with 802 cases, out of which, 441 are in Freetown and 361 in the provinces.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (04/09/23)
