By Musa Paul Feika
Detective Police Constable 17803 Kadiatu Kamara, the scene of crime officer (SoCO), attached to the Regional Ross Road Police Division in Freetown, has testified before Magistrate Alhaji Suliaman Koroma, of the Ross Road Magistrate Court No. 1, in the ongoing murder trial involving three accused, Abdul Sankoh, Mohamed Jawarah and Alpha Sesay, who are standing trial for allegedly murdering Alhaji Muctaru Bah.
The incident reportedly took place on the 8th June 2020 at Fullah Mosque, Hastings Village outside Freetown.
Madam Kamara detailed that, on that fateful day, on the 17th June, 2020, she was on duty at the Criminal Investigation Department at the Regional Ross Road Police Division, in Freetown, when she received a telephone call from Detective Police Constable 1164 Kamara asking her to witness a postmortem examination on the deceased, Alhaji Muctaru Bah at the Connaught Hospital in Freetown.
She continued that she left for Connaught Hospital in Freetown, adding that, upon her arrival during the during course of the postmortem examination, which was conducted by the only government pathologist, Dr Simeon Koroma, she took photographs of the deceased, which she later developed into pictures and were produced and tendered in court to form part of the court`s records.
During cross examination, one of the defence counsels, Samuel Ronald Valcarcel, asked the witness whether she was present during the course of postmortem examination. The witness answered yes.
Mr. Valcarcel further asked whether any forensic test was conducted on the deceased. “Not to my knowledge, my Lord,” she said in reply.
The accused were denied bail and remanded at the Male Correctional Centre, Pademba Road in Freetown.
The matter will come up again on the 30th September, 2020.