By Musa Paul Feika
One Abdul Sonneh is standing trial before Magistrate Alhaji Suliaman Koroma, of the Ross Road Magistrate Court No. 1, for allegedly robbing the complainant, Patrick Kabba, certain valuable properties worth millions of Leones, on 4th July, 2020, in Freetown.
The police prosecution witness, Detective Sergeant 9940, Fayia Alhaji Tengbeh, attached to the Anti Robbery Unit at the Ross Road Police Division in Freetown, told the court that he recognized the accused as well as the complainant.
Mr. Tengbeh continued that, on that fateful day, he was on duty at the Anti Robbery Unit at the Ross Road Police Division in Freetown, when a case and inquiry file, from Grafton Police Division, outside Freetown, was brought to the said Unit for further investigation.
He informed that the matter was assigned to him, adding that the case and inquiry file contained the statements of the complainant and her witnesses, the voluntary caution statement of the accused, two endorsed medical forms, bearing both the names of the complainants, which were produced and tendered in court to form part of the case file.
The witness recounted that he later obtained an additional voluntary caution statement from the accused, noting that, at the at the end of the statement, the accused admitted it to be true and correct by affixing his right hand thumbprint, which was witnessed by Inspector Conteh M.B.
On the 13th July, 2020, the witness concluded his testimony, stating that he charged the accused with the offences of robbery with aggravation, wounding with intent, wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, which are all contrary to the Offences against the Persons Act of 1861.
The accused was not legally represented; his bail was refused and he was sent on remand at the Male Correctional Centre, Pademba Road in Freetown.
The matter will come up again on the 26th October, 2020.