By Abass Jalloh
Two men who were part of a group of six accused of damaging 60 building structures at Fonima Section, Goderich failed to show up in court yesterday prompting Magistrate Mark Ngeba to issue a bench warrant against them.
Gbessay Kamara and Samuel Turay were charged along with four other men Aruna Saidu Barrie, John Bockarie,Alex Santos Kamara, and Gbessay Kamara for offences of conspiracy, larceny, and malicious damage.
The owner of the property Hawa Sesay was not in court as a Police witness testified.
Detective Inspector Ashwood, attached to the Anti-Land Grabbing Unit at Lumley Police Division in Freetown, led by the prosecution team, testified that she was on duty on the 25th of April 2022 when the complainant reported a case of trespassing and malicious damage in which statements were obtained from Sesay and her witnesses.
She spoke of the police effecting arrests of the suspects on diverse dates and then detained.
She said that the complainant brought receipt of damaged or stolen goods following the incident which was tendered in court.
The officer said together with a colleague, statements were obtained from the accused persons separately and on diverse dates before they were charged with conspiracy, larceny, and malicious damage.
She told the court of visiting the crime scene and found the place vandalized. Ashwood also said she took photographs of the scene.
During cross-examination, Lawyer F. Kotu, who represented two of the accused, asked the officer about her designation in the matter, to which she said she, was assigned to the case. Lawyer Kotu, asked about the quantum or number of damage caused by the accused persons, but the witness stated that she could not tell because her focus was on the statements given to the police by the complainant.
The defense further put it to the witness that the accused persons told her that there were unknown youths or miscreants who were responsible for the havoc at the crime scene, to which she agreed.
The witness also agreed that part of the statement of the complainant indicated that over 60 structures were damaged after the incident.
The matter was adjourned to the 9th of August 2022.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (27/07/22)
