By Janet A Sesay
One Captain Sylvanus Sheriff last Friday testified before Magistrate Marks Ngegba of Court No. 2 on Pademba Road, Freetown, in the murder trial of Mamoud Mansaray, who was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife, Nituma Mansaray following a quarrel between them.
Led in evidence by Inspector Alhaji Tejan Bangura, the witness recognized the accused and recalled the 30th March, 2020.
The witness told the court that on that day, one Zainab Kargbo informed him that the accused had stabbed the deceased and he eventually rushed to the scene.
He said upon his arrival at the scene, he met the deceased had already been taken to the 34 Military Hospital but met the accused sitting on their settee chair holding their child.
The witness told the court that when the accused saw him, she burst into tears and he saw trails of blood from the parlour right into the bedroom.
Captain Sheriff said the accused told him that she had been having some domestic and jealous issues with her husband that culminated in serious quarrel between them and she eventually stabbed her husband.
The witness continued that he and the accused went inside the bedroom and there he saw a pool of blood and the accused told him that the deceased would not die. He added that the accused removed a knife with blood stain from under the mattress and handed it over to him.
Captain Sheriff said whilst he was trying to caution the accused, he heard people crying that Mamoud Mansaray had passed away.
He told the court that he personally handed the accused over to the police at the Congo Cross Police Division together with the blood-stained knife and phones, adding that the police obtained statement from him.
During cross-examination by Defense Counsel Ishmael Philip Mamie, the witness told the court that he had known the deceased and accused for the last two years and that he had been their mediator. He however testified that the accused was so temperamental.
Detective Sergeant 1516 Abu Conteh, whom is the Exhibit Clerk attached to the Crime Writer Office at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, recalled 8th April, 2020.
He said on that day he was on duty when Inspector Kargbo M. attached to the Homicide Syndicate at the CID Headquarters handed over to him exhibits in respect of the matter.
The detective sergeant said the exhibits were one black-and-white handled kitchen knife with blood stains, an old bed net with blood stains, one orange T-shirt with blood stains, an old Huawei phone with Qcell Sim belonging to the accused, and an old Tecno KA7 Spark 2 mobile phone belonging to the deceased.
The detective sergeant furthered that on 15th July, 2020, DPC 588 Sesay L. attached to the Cyber Unit at CID Headquarters handed over to him one memory stick allegedly containing exchange of words between the deceased and the accused.
He said he took possession of the exhibits and registered them in the Court Registry Book against serial Number 47/2020 and that the exhibits had since been in police custody which he tendered in court to form part of the evidence.
The accused is standing trial on one count of murder contrary to law.
The particulars of offence indicated that the accused Nituma Mansaray on 30th March, 2020 unlawfully killed her husband, Mamoud Mansaray.
The matter comes up on 24th July, 2020.