By Musa Paul Feika
Aruna Kargbo has made his second appearance before Magistrate Wilberi Hamida Moira John of the Ross Road Court No.1 for allegedly breaking into Reformed Community Primary School situated in Morabi, Waterloo, and therein stealing several cartons of books worth four million, seven hundred thousand leones (Le4,700,000) belonging to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), while they were in Albert Sam’s custody.
Kargbo appeared before the court on three counts of conspiracy, larceny and malicious damage contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The police allege that Aruna Kargbo on 30 April 2020 at the aforesaid address in Waterloo broke into the Reformed Community Primary School and stole the cartons of books.
The charge sheet furthered that the accused, on the same date and place in Waterloo, maliciously damaged school furniture valued at three million, eight hundred thousand leones (Le3,800,000).
The police say the accused, on the same date and place, stole DVD players and other properties valued at one million, one hundred thousand leones (Le1,100,000) belonging to Ibrahim Conteh.
Led in evidence by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Osman M. Bangura, who doubles as head of the Ross Road Police prosecution team, prosecution witness (PW) 1, the proprietor of the abovementioned school, Albert Sam told the court that he recognised the accused and could recall Thursday, 30 April 2020.
Mr Sam said on that day, he was at home when his son Osman started shouting his name informing him that the accused and other men armed with cutlasses had arrived at the scene.
‘Upon the receipt of the information, I saw the accused in my veranda armed with a cutlass asking for me. But Osman informed him that I was not around,’ the proprietor of the school told the court.
PW1 recounted that the accused and his men proceeded to the school compound, damaged school furniture and carted away cartons of books supplied by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education valued at four million, seven hundred thousand leones (Le4,700,000).
The witness said he reported the matter to the Waterloo Police Division, noting that he and a team of police officers from the aforementioned division visited the crime scene and took photographs, which were produced and tendered to form part of the court’s records.
He attempted to identify the list of books and their costs to form part of the evidence, but at that juncture, Defence Counsel Michaela Patricia George, representing the accused, objected on the grounds that the document the prosecution intended to tender had nothing to do with the matter.
She added that the court is a court of records and cannot dwell in uncertainty, citing that the name and address of the institution where the alleged incident occurred should have been stated on the face of the document.
Responding, ASP Bangura said his witness just wanted to identify the said document, adding that the document’s letterhead indicated that it was a request sent to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education by the investigating officer for the list and pricing of the books that were allegedly carted away by the accused.
Magistrate John, having heard the application from the defence counsel and responses from the prosecutor, adjourned the matter to 4 May 2022.