By Mohamed Foday Conteh
After 28 adjournments with no prosecution witnesses led, Justice Sulaiman Bah has acquitted construction worker, Lamin Kanneh of sexual penetration charges.
Kanneh was cleared of the crime on Monday 6th December 2021 at High Court No.2 in Freetown.
According to the Particulars of Offence, the 24-year-old construction worker is said to have sexually penetrated the alleged victim on a date unknown between the 1st of January in 2019 and 31st September the same year in Freetown.
It was alleged that Kanneh, who was working as a house help to the mother of the child victim, met the minor naked at the said house and thereby sexually penetrated her.
Reports of investigations by the police after the alleged incident states that it was the mother of the child that met Kanneh who used to work as a house help for the mother with the victim in a room. The mother said she met her child crying and upon enquiring, she said the daughter told her that Kanneh used his finger to penetrate her.
Investigations by Detective Police Constable 12130 Fatorma S. and Detective Sergeant 9211 Conteh A. implicated the 24-year-old construction worker and charged the matter to court.
The pace of the matter stagnated since it was charged to court which forced the State Prosecutor, Alberta Kargbo to apply for discharge of the matter. She said the prosecution does not want to proceed with the matter because the family of the child has intimated to them that they do not wish for the matter to be prosecuted.
The defence counsel from Legal Aid, Morrison Karimu did not object to the application filed by the prosecution.
Justice Bah granted the application made by the State and acquitted Kanneh of the crime. He added that another reason for acquitting Kanneh is based on his deteriorating health condition.
Kanneh, who has been on remand at the Pademba Road Correctional Centre since the matter was charged to court, wept in court after the judge acquitted him.
The Construction worker swathed in black shirt and trousers and eyes filled with tears bowed in obeisance to the judge before the prison officers took him off the dock to spend his first night at home after more than a year in custody.
Copyright © Politico Online 08/12/21
