By Janet Sesay
After he was docked for allegedly penetrating a fourteen year old girl at his residence, 47 year old Colonel Musa Brima Bangura, who is also a resident of Battalion Barracks in Freetown, was yesterday refused bail by Magistrate Santigie Bangura of the Freetown Magistrate court No. 1.
The accused was arraigned on one count of sexual penetration of a child, which is contrary to section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2012.
Court details state that, the accused, between Wednesday 18th July and 20th July 2018 at Block B1-7 Battalion Barrack in Freetown, penetrated a girl below the age of eighteen years, to wit fourteen years.
The victim, a school pupil, said she knows the accused as her neighbor, and could recall the said date. She said, while passing by with her little sister, the accused called them and pleaded with them to help him clean his room and wash his clothes, to which they agreed.
She continued that, the accused specifically told her to clean his room and her little sister should wash the clothes. While cleaning the room, she went on, the accused held her mouth tightly. He removed her pants and had sex with her.
When the accused finished, according to the victim, he gave her a tissue to clean herself. She later told the court that she went outside and told her little sister what the accused had done to her. According to her, her sister advised her to report the matter to their mother, which she did.
The victim concluded that she further told her mother and her uncle, and they went to the Adonkia Police Station and made a report. Following this the accused was arrested.
During cross-examination by defense counsel, Sahid Sesay, the victim said she knew the accused as a solider and had visited him three times at his residence. She said the accused is the only one residing at his house and before the incident took place, she was passing in front of his block when the accused called her around 4p.m.
The defense counsel also made bail application on behalf of the accused. He said the accused is a good Colonel who has served his country diligently.
He furthered that, the accused has also suffered for his country during the war and in the hands of Westside Boys. He made the bail application by citing section 79 (2) (3) of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965 for at least for him to breath the air of freedom.
Magistrate Bangura stated that he is working on the entire evidence first before granting bail.
The accused was refused bail and the matter was adjourned to the 11th January, 2019.