Stakeholders in Bonthe District, including the Mayor, Chairperson of the Bonthe District Council, Member of Parliament and religious leaders, among others, have expressed their heartfelt appreciations to the Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards, for instituting the first Criminal Session of the High Court in the district, and for conducting an effective public education on the mandate of the Judiciary and Judicial reforms.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone, Moses Lamin Kamara, the holding of the Criminal Session of the High Court in Mattru Jong was ultimately designed and pushed for by the Chief Justice through statutory instrument No 19 of 2019.
He said the instrument generated expansion of the session in places like Mattru Jong and Pujehun in the south, Kailahun in the east and Kabala in the north, with the aim of expeditious trials, trying all accused charged with indictable offences, such as murder, wounding with intent, robbery with aggravation, manslaughter, sexual penetration, rape and house breaking, among others.
He said inmates, who commit indictable offences in the jurisdiction, now have the opportunity to be tried in the High Court.
Mr. Kamara further revealed that the Chief Justice, by virtue of Section 8 of the Sexual Offence (amendment) Act 2019, issued memos to all Judges, drawing their attention to the sentencing guidelines for all convicted cases on sexual penetration and rape as committed on the 7th October 2019.
Mr. Kamara informed that the Chief Justice, in his wisdom, divided the sentencing guidelines into a child offender, who abuses between ages 12 to 17. If that offender is convicted for sexual penetration or rape, he will be sentenced to a minimum of 5 years and maximum of 10 years; a young person offender if convicted for the same offence will be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment and finally for an adult offender, if convicted for the same crime, the minimum sentence will be 15 years and the maximum will be life imprisonment.
The Mayor of Bonthe District Council, His Worship Layemin Joe Sandi, said the holding of the first criminal session of the High Court in Mattru Jong was a move in the right direction, noting that Bonthe District has long been deprived of access to justice, more especially when it comes to indictable offences.
He said, in the past, litigants from the district are tried and served their respected sentences in other jurisdictions, which, by all indications, impacted negatively on them.
He appealed to the Hon Chief Justice to replicate the same in the island, more especially the public education, and blessed him for what he described as adorable move.
The Chairperson of Bonthe District Council, Chairman Moses Probyn, described the Chief Justice as a man of his words.
He recalled the meeting he had with the Chief Justice at his Chamber and the promises he made.
He said two of the key promises, including the holding of the criminal session of the High Court and public education on judicial reforms, have been achieved.
He thanked the Chief Justice and promised to support him in his strides to achieve expeditious trials and access to justice for all in Sierra Leone.
As High Court Sits… Stakeholders In Bonthe Praise Chief Justice
