By Musa Paul Feika
Magistrate Wilbri Hamida Moira John, the presiding Magistrate at the Ross Road Magistrate Court No. 1, has committed the ongoing robbery matter involving Yusif Barrie and seven others to the High Court for trial.
In her committal statement, she stated that, throughout the preliminary investigation, the state prosecutor, Andrew Tejan Rogers, led four witnesses, three formal and one factual, Hon. Musa Bamba Foray Jalloh (aka Budugu), representing Constituency 056 in the Tonkolili District.
She added that the prosecution has adduced enough evidence pointing towards the culpability of the accused. She therefore committed the matter to the High Court for trial.
The eight accused were arraigned before the court for the offences of conspiracy, which is contrary to law, malicious damage, which is contrary to law, robbery with aggravation, wounding with intent, wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, which are all contrary to Section 47 of the Offences against the Persons Act of 1861.
The police charge sheet adduces that Yusif Barrie and seven others, on the 13th September, 2020, at No. 47 Lumpa, Waterloo, conspired together with unknown persons to commit a felony, to wit robbery with aggravation.
The charge furthered that all the accused, on the same date and address, robbed certain valuable properties from Musa Bamba Foray Jalloh, worth thirty eight million, nine hundred and two thousand Leones (Le38,902,000).
The charge sheet furthered that all the accused, on the same date and address, wounded and assaulted Mr. Jalloh, in a manner thereby causing him grievous bodily harm.
The accused were refused bail and remanded at the Male Correctional Centre, Pademba Road in Freetown.