By Janet A Sesay
A consultant pathologist, Dr Owizz Koroma has detailed the extensive injuries sustained by 17-year-old Tujah Sesay, who allegedly died following a severe physical assault on July 23, 2024, as the murder trial of Tommy Alusine, alias Alhaji, continued in court.
The accused is standing trial on a charge of murder, contrary to Section 1 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, as repealed and replaced by Section 1(a) of the Schedule to the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2022, Act No. 6 of 2022.
Testifying in court, Dr Simeon Owizz Koroma, a consultant pathologist, Government Chief Forensic Pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner, recalled that on July 26, 2024, he performed a post-mortem examination on the body of the deceased, Tujah Sesay, to ascertain the precise cause of death.
He told the court that the deceased was allegedly severely physically assaulted on July 23, 2024, at about 10:50 p.m. and died a few minutes later. Her body was subsequently conveyed to the Connaught Teaching Hospital Complex mortuary for an autopsy.
According to the witness, his external examination revealed several injuries, including a huge hematoma on the right side of the head, blood coming from the ears, nostrils and mouth, sunken and bloodshot eyes, a bitten tongue and a two-centimetre laceration on the lower lip.
He further observed that the deceased’s neck was visibly swollen, with fingernail excoriations, while defensive wounds were present on both the palms and backs of her hands.
The pathologist also told the court that his examination revealed multiple bruises and fractures involving the left humerus, radius and ulna, as well as the right femur, tibia and fibula.
On internal examination, Dr Koroma said he discovered extensive fractures measuring approximately 26 centimetres on the right side of the skull, accompanied by massive intracerebral haemorrhage.
He further identified severe dislocation fractures affecting the entire spinal column, with corresponding spinal cord injuries, as well as extensive fractures of the hyoid bone, cricoid, laryngeal and thyroid cartilages.
The witness explained that there were no pre-existing disease conditions that could have caused or accelerated the deceased’s death.
In his professional opinion, he attributed the cause of death to massive intracerebral haemorrhage resulting from extensive skull fractures, neurogenic shock arising from severe spinal injuries, and asphyxia associated with manual strangulation.
He concluded that the death was unnatural and the manner of death was homicidal.
During cross-examination, defence counsel C Taylor Young from legalaid board questioned the pathologist about the nature and extent of the injuries observed on the deceased, particularly whether the scratches and other physical marks could suggest the involvement of more than one person.
Counsel challenged the witness to explain whether he could determine that the injuries were inflicted by one person without conducting DNA testing.
The lawyer argued that several individuals could have inflicted scratches on the deceased and questioned how the pathologist could conclusively rule out such a possibility based solely on his physical examination.
In response, Dr Koroma clarified that he had not attributed the injuries to any particular individual. He also told the court that he was neither requested to conduct DNA testing nor did he carry out any DNA examination in connection with the case.
He maintained that his testimony was based on the medical findings and physical evidence documented during the post-mortem examination.
The questioning centred on the limitations of the medical findings in determining the number of persons who may have inflicted the injuries, with the witness maintaining that his examination did not establish the identity or number of those responsible.
The matter was adjourned to November 9, 2026, for further proceedings.