By Janet A. Sesay
The case of Mohamed Josiah alleged to have killed Mohamed Lamin Baryoh was on Friday, 25th July, 2025 committed to the High Court for further trial by the Principal Magistrate of the Freetown Magistrate Court No.1, Magistrate Mustapha Briama Jah.
Josiah was arraigned before the Magistrate Court on a count charge of murder contrary to Section 1 of the Offence against the Person Act 1861 as repealed and replaced by Section 1 (a) of the Schedule of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2021, Act No.6 of 2022.
The charge sheet indicates that Josiah on Monday, 28th April, 2025 at Dundas Street Car Wash in Freetown, murdered Mohamed Lamin Baryoh.
Before the Magistrate’s committal, Sergeant 9546 Amidu Conteh attached to the Scientific Support Unit at the Central Police Station recognized Josiah in the dock as the accused person.
He described himself as the Scene of Crime Officer, attached to the investigation department of the Central Police Station.
Sergeant Conteh recalled the 7th May, 2025, that he together with relatives of the deceased and the Investigation Officers on the matter went to the Connaught Hospital Mortuary to witness the autopsy examination done by the Government Pathologist, Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma on the remains of the deceased- Mohamed Lamin Baryoh. He said during the process he took photographs with his Vivo mobile phone. He said he later printed the pictures, which he tendered to the court to form part of the Prosecution’s case.
The Police Witness was cross-examined by the accused person since he was not represented in court by a lawyer.
It was after the Police Witness’s testimony that the Prosecutor, Sergeant 1984 Fama Lahai closed his prosecution case.
In his committal statement, Magistrate Jah noted that the accused has gone through preliminary investigation before the Magistrate Court, during which proceedings three witnesses were called by the Prosecution, pointing out that the testimonies of all those prosecution witnesses corroborated each other, highlighting that that the witnesses were all crossed-examined by the accused.
On these bases, asserted his satisfaction that the prosecution led sufficient evidence against the accused person to warrant his committal to the High Court.
The accused before the committal told the court that he would like to testify his defense before the High Court even without any witness to testify on his behalf.
Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah ordered the committal of the matter to the High Court for further trial without granting bail to the accused.