By Musa Paul Feika
Abdulai Kamara, his wife, Fereh Musu, and their daughter have been arraigned before Magistrate Alhaji Suliaman Koroma, of the Ross Road Magistrate Court No.1, for allegedly wounding the complainant, Ibrahim Koroma, in manner thereby causing him grievous bodily harm.
The police prosecution witness, Ibrahim Koroma, who is also a complainant in respect of the matter, told the court that he recognized the accused as their neighbours and could recall Sunday 5th April, 2020.
According Mr. Koroma, on that fateful day, he was at home with one former Honourable Ibrahim Sankoh, making or molding blocks, when the 2nd accused came into his compound. The witness added that he advised the 2nd accused to leave his compound because it was during a lockdown, which he said she did.
Mr. Koroma said, in a fleet of seconds, he saw the 3rd accused, Fereh Musu, violently entering into the compound and uttering all sorts of abusive languages against him. He noted that, due to her annoyance in entering the compound, the 3rd accused, stepped on his newly made blocks and started breaking them.
The witness said he prevented the 3rd accused from further breaking his blocks and, according to him, this resulted into serious fracas among the 1st, 2nd and subsequently the 1st accused, Abdulai Kamara and him.
Mr. Koroma further testified that, during the fighting, the 2nd accused, Fereh Musu, bit him on his stomach. In an attempt to stop her from biting him, the 1st accused, Abdulai Kamara, suddenly arrived at the crime scene and joined the fight.
Mr. Koroma said the 1st accused attempted three consecutive times to hit him seriously with a stick, but he had prevented them all. But he said the 1st accused eventually succeeded in hitting him on his head with a stone while was trying to stop the 3rd accused from biting him.
The witness said blood was oozing from his wounds. He reported the matter to the Kissy Police Division, in Freetown, where he was issued with a police medical paper for treatment at the Government Rokupa Hospital, Wellington in Freetown.
The said medical paper was produced and tendered in court to form part of the court`s records. According to him, he made a statement in respect of the matter.
The defence counsel, I.S.Y. Kamara, who is defending the accused, asked the witness whether he was the owner of the compound. The witness answered no.
Lawyer Kamara further asked the witness whether the accused had been entering into the compound before the alleged incident occurred. In reply, he said yes.
Mr. Kamara put it to the witness that it was when he pushed the 3rd accused, Fereh Musu that the scuffle between them and him ensued. The witness said no.
However, the defence counsel, Mr. Kamara, renewed his application for bail on behalf of the 3rd accused, Fereh Musu, by relying on Section 79 of the Criminal Procedure Act No.32 of 1965.
In response, the presiding magistrate granted thirty million Leones bail to the 3rd accused, with two sureties in like sum and the sureties must be residents within the jurisdiction. In addition, bail should be approved by the Deputy Master and Registrar.
“Bails of the 1st and 2nd accused remain in force,” Magistrate Alhaji Suliaman Koroma insisted.
The matter will come up again on the 11th October, 2020.