By Francis H. Murray
An 8-year old child whom prosecutors say was sexually penetrated by one Amadu Bah has testified before Justice Momoh Jah Stevens at the sexual offenses division of the High Court in Freetown.
In her testimony on Monday 17th August, the victim identified herself as a primary school pupil and currently in class two. She recalled that on the morning of 7th March 2020, she went to the bedroom of the accused who lives in the same compound with her family to watch a movie.
‘‘He then put my slippers inside the room and closed the door. He removed my pants and put his finger into my vagina. My friend Saffea came by the room to look for me but the accused told him that I was not around. So I went outside after the accused later opened the door,’’ she explained.
The witness said while taking her bath, she told her mother she was feeling some pain in her private parts and reported that the accused had put his fingers into her vagina. She said her mother immediately put the allegation to the accused who denied doing such.
The victim said the matter was reported to the New England Police division where she made statement and later referred to the hospital for medical checkup and treatment.
Under cross examination by lawyer A. S. Bah, the witness confirmed to have visited the room of the accused to watch movie but couldn’t recall what time it was, adding that she couldn’t also describe the room but that it was a single room accommodation.
Asked whether she was alone with the accused in the room at the time of the incident, the witness said the brother of the accused, whose name she could not tell, was in the same room sleeping.
She added that while the accused did the act, his brother was still sleeping and that she cried aloud and struggled with the accused but never touched the brother of the accused, who didn’t wake up at any time during the incident.
Kadiatu Kargbo, the mother of the victim also recognized the accused as their neighbor and recalled that the incident took place on a Saturday and that when she’d finished cleaning, she looked for her daughter to bath her but she couldn’t find her. ‘‘So as usual, I sent Saffea to look for her in the room of the accused but he came back saying that the accused had told him that my daughter was not there. After sometime, she came out from the back of the room of the accused and as soon as a started bathing her, she started crying and complaining that she could feel pains in her private parts. When I inquired further, she told me that the accused put his finger into her vagina.’’
She said after the accused denied the allegation when she confronted him, she immediately went to the New England police station to report the matter, adding that her daughter was then referred to the Rainbo Center for examination and treatment. She said she later returned the endorsed police medical request form to the station.
Under cross examination by lawyer Bah, the witness confirmed that the incident happened at around 10am after she had looked for her in the usual places where she would normally be. She said that she didn’t border to look in the house of the accused because it was closed. She also stressed that it was while she was bathing her daughter that the girl reported that the accused had penetrated her with his fingers.
State prosecutor, Jenneh B. Kamara’s application for the accused person to be tried by a judge alone and not by a judge and jury was granted by the judge.
The matter, was adjourned to the 19th August 2020
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