By Janet A. Sesay
Christiana Kumba Kamara the younger sister of the deceased Sia Fatu Kamara in her testimony before the court said that the accused, Abdul Kpaka always had an abusive relationship with the deceased.
Kamara, the First Prosecution Witness said whenever the accused had misunderstanding with the deceased, the accused would use abusive language on her and also beat her.
Led in by the Lead State Prosecutor, Yusuf Isaac Sesay, the witness said her sister the deceased, was in a romantic love relationship with the accused.
She was testifying before Justice Alfred T. Ganda at the High Court No. 2 in Freetown on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
The witness said on the night of August 12, 2024, she went into the deceased’s room, but the deceased was taking her bath and so she sat on her bed and wait for her.
She furthered that when the deceased came out from the bathroom, she (deceased) asked her to plait her hair which she did and whiles doing that the deceased showed her a flight ticket that she would be traveling to the USA on September 3, 2024 on a business trip, after which, the witness said she left the deceased’s room and went to the dining room.
The witness furthered that at 11: 00pm, she saw the deceased going out saying she was going to the accused’s house, adding that the accused, Kpaka had come to collect her. She said she then slept in the deceased room that night.
“On August 13, 2024, I received a call from the accused at exactly 9:30 am saying I should immediately meet him at the Emergency Hospital,” she explained, while profusely crying to the extent the proceeding had to be stand down for over half an hour for the witness to put herself together.
It was however observed that the more the witness looked at the accused, the more she became emotional as she was still overheard sobbing and this continued for about another seven to nine minutes while sitting in the witness stand.
At that point, the Prosecutor had to request for the court to provide a consoler to her.
At this stage, the Lead Defence Lawyer, Teddy Koroma raised concern that the witness wasn’t that emotional in her previous testimony before the other judge on the same case. He then asked why now?
The Prosecutor replied that the witness had now come to a realisation that the deceased, her elder sister, has finally gone. The State Prosecutor further pointed out that the witness is also being reminded about the incident.
When the witness resumed her testimony, she said upon receiving the phone call, she became worried knowing that her sister slept in the accused’s house.
The witness furthered that she arrived at the hospital at 9: 40 am.
“I met a male nurse in plain clothes. He asked if I was Sia’s sister. I answered yes. I then asked him for my sister. He said the doctors were inside trying to bring my sister back to life,” she narrated.
The witness went on that she then saw the accused and attempted to approach him, but the people around the accused prevented her from doing so, but she insisted.
According to her, as soon as she approached him, the accused shouted to him: “Christo, una kill me wan tem. Ar no deserve for live.” Which can be translated as: “Christo, you guys should kill me now. I don’t deserve to live.” The witness said the accused repeated those words twice.
She said, she then asked him what happened, but he could not talk to her.
The witness went on to say that she then called other relatives and their Pastor to meet them at the hospital.
Among the relatives that came, the witness said was Ruth Finnah Jawara and that together they embarked on intercessory prayer for the deceased to get revival. She said the accused’s other sister Nancy, also later joined them in the prayer.
The witness explained that they afterwards decided to go inside the hospital to see the deceased, but the nurses told them that they could not see her until when a vehicle comes then they would hand over the corpse to them.
According to her, it was then she believed that Sia had died. She furthered that no sooner, the accused’s sister drove in the accused’s vehicle and at that point some men brought out the deceased, who was completely wrapped in a white cloth.
At that point, their Pastor, who was present unwrapped her head to neck. The Pastor further said they should take the deceased to their house to pray for her to come alive.
The witness said she together with Finnah Jawara opted to hire a tricycle to their house and that the accused and other people brought the deceased home.
She further testified that at the house, they placed the deceased in the parlour and she observed that the deceased had a cut on her upper lip and blood stain on her lower lip.
“We were sitting in the parlour waiting for miracle to happen,” she said weeping.
The witness could not continue from that point. The case was adjourned to next Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for continuation of her testimony.
The accused, Kpaka is charged with two counts of murder and perverting the course of justice.