By Janet A. Sesay
Magistrate Sarh Keikura of the Pademba Road Court No.4 yesterday discharged one Alhaji Kamara for want of prosecution, as they failed to bring in witnesses to testify in court against the accused.
The accused is standing trial on two counts of conspiracy, which is contrary to law and robbery with aggravation, which is also contrary to Section (23)(1)(a) of the Larceny Act, 1916 and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 47 of the Offence Against Person’s Act of 1861.
The court details state that the accused, on Friday 28th February 2020 at Jumbo Stone, Bathurst village in the outskirts of Freetown, conspired together with other persons unknown to commit a crime, to wit robbery with aggravation. On the same day at the same place, the accused, armed with a knife, robbed one Amara Kamara one red TVS motorbike with Registration Number – APH 429, which is valued at seven million leones.
The charge sheet also indicates that the accused, on the same day at the same place, assaulted Amara Kamara in a manner occasioning him actual bodily harm.
After the matter was mentioned in court, the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Marie Marco Sesay, stated that on several occasions, she had called on the witness to testify in court but that the witness has constantly refused to show up.
In his response, Magistrate Keikura stated that, since there is no witness to testify against the accused, and the latter has been in custody for a very long time, he was therefore discharging the matter for, as he puts it: “want of prosecution.”