By Musa Paul Feika
One Rashid Dumbuya is standing trial at the Ross Road Magistrate Court No.1 for the offences of store breaking and larceny, which are contrary to law.
The police prosecution witness, Joseph Bockarie, during his testimony, told the court that he recognized the accused and he could recall 11th May 2020. According to him, he went to his shop, which is situated at Bail Bureh Road in Freetown, adding that, upon his arrival, he discovered that his store had been broken by unknown persons and, according to him, he noticed that certain items, including one amplifier, valued at seven million leones (Le 7,000,000), three cartons of cold beer, each valued at one million fifty thousand leones (Le 1, 50000), a computer laptop, valued at one million five hundred thousand leones (Le 1,500) and other valuable items, all totaling seventeen million, nine hundred thousand leones (Le 17, 90000), properties of the complainant, Joseph Bockarie, were stolen.
The witness informed the court that he reported the matter to the Kissy Police Station in Freetown.
One day, the witness went on, he was at his shop at Bai Bureh Road in Freetown, when some boys came to him with a speaker for sale and, according to him, after he inspected the speaker he discovered that it was one of his speakers that was allegedly stolen from his store.
The witness disclosed to the court that he told them that he wanted the speaker, but only that he does not have money with him. He furthered that he pleaded with the boys to wait for him to go to the bank and withdraw money to buy the speaker, which they agreed.
The witness detailed the court that he secretly went to Kissy Police Station, where he reported the matter, earlier adding that himself and a team of detective police officers came to the scene and got the boys apprehended and taken to the station.
He said, upon their arrival at the Kissy Police Station, the boys made confessional statements to the police, stating that the speaker was given to them by the accused for sale.
The witness added that, after the boys had been arrested, the accused went to the station and was apprehended too. The boys who were found with the speaker were released by the police based on their investigation.
The accused is standing trial for the offences of store breaking and larceny, which are contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The police charge sheet indicates that Rashid Dumbuya, on 11th May 2020 at Texaco Lorry Park, in the Freetown Judicial District in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, damaged and entered into the store of the Joseph Bockarie and stole therein certain valuable properties worth millions of leones.
The accused was denied bail and remanded at the Male Correctional Center, Pademba Road in Freetown, and the matter was adjourned to 8th July 2020.