By Mohamed Foday Conteh
A man Alhaji Alpha Rashid, has told Justice Komba Kamanda that it was a fellow nicknamed “Timberland” and four others that stabbed and killed his driver, Ishmael Suma on the 28th August 2016 at Parade Grounds, Central Freetown.
Rashid was testifying as a prosecution witness in a murder matter yesterday 2nd November this year implicating one Sahr David Bindi, Paul Tarawally, Maju Sheriff and Saidu Conteh as accused persons.
The witness stated that on the alleged date of incident, he was at Parade to play football when a fracas ensued which caused him to leave the field for his house.
He said he was resting at home when he received a call from an unknown person and based on the information, he went to Connaught Hospital where he met Suma in a critical condition. “He was bleeding,” Rashid said. He said that he was granted a request from the doctor to talk with his driver, Suma.
The witness said t Suma told him that it was one Timberland and the four accused men in the dock that stabbed him at Parade Grounds. He told the court that his driver then died, shortly after giving him the information.
Rashid said that he later went to Central Police Station in Freetown where he filed a report. The Police later visited the crime scene and went in search for the accused persons but could not locate them on the said day.
A post-mortem was done on the body of Suma by Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma to ascertain the cause of death. The other suspect “Timberland” is still at large.
The body was given to them for burial after the said post-mortem.
Rashid said that he later received a call from the Police that they have apprehended the men that stabbed Suma.
The four men in dock were not represented by a lawyer in court. The judge granted them leave to cross-examine the witness themselves.
During cross-examination by the accused persons, the witness said that he saw all of them at Parade Grounds on the day of the incident. He denied participating in an identification parade at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Freetown.
Copyright © Politico Online 03/11/21
