By Abass Jalloh
32-year-old Charles Bao is to serve 10 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexually penetrating a 13-year-old school girl.
The accused, Bao, was before High Court Judge,Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens charged with Sexual Penetration contrary to the Sexual Offences Act.
It was alleged that the accused on the 12th June 2021 in Freetown engaged in an act of sexual intercourse with the child.
Upon his arraignment, Bao denied the allegations levelled on him.
The prosecution, led by Musa Pious Sesay, brought in various witnesses including the victim,to prove the accused was guilty of the crime.
In her evidence, the 13-year-old admitted knowing the accused as her neighbour. She narrated to the court how Bao entered her room, removed her clothes and sexually abused her. She however stated that she refused to tell anyone about what happened between her and the accused person.
In his judgement on Thursday November 10, Justice Stevens said the accused made a denial statement in his defence but that there was an eyewitness who saw the accused lying on top of the victim struggling with her.
The judge stated that at the close of the prosecution's case, the accused relied on his statement he made to the police.
Bao’s plea for mercy was ignored by the Judge who then sentenced him.
In another ruling, Justice Stevens acquitted and discharged 20-year-old Mohamed Kamara on allegations of sexually penetrating a 14-year-old girl.
The judge stated that sufficient evidence to prove the guilt of the accused was still a challenge to the court.
State Prosecutor, Musa Pious Sesay, informed the court that they had tried to called the victim and her father but they could not locate them, leading the judge to acquit and discharge the accused for “want of prosecution”.
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