By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Justice Momoh-Jah Stevens has sent one Mohamed Conteh, 56, on remand for allegedly having sex with his 17-year-old daughter in Lungi and Kambia .
The father made his second appearance at the Sexual Offences Model Court in Freetown on Saturday 16th October this year to answer to a crime of incest contrary to the Sexual Offences Act of 2012 as amended in 2019.
At the maiden sitting of the matter, the girl told the judge that her father Conteh had sex with her multiple times at hotels in Lungi and Kambia on diverse dates in 2020. She said Conteh started to sexually harass her when she was 15 at their Juba residence, something he continued doing even when they moved to Lumley, all in Freetown. The teenage girl said his father initially accused her of being a witch after claiming to have seen her in a dream trying to feed him something and was accused of the same witchcraft when she went to stay with her cousins.
The alleged victim said that it was because of the said spiritual issue that she was taken to one Pa Lamina in Lungi and later to another man she called Mr. Alusine in Kambia, both herbalists. At the two locations, she alleged her father mal-treated her and had sex with her multiple times in hotels.
The evidence of the girl later revealed that the father impregnated her during his seven month stay at a certain hotel in Kambia where he would take her to, as she was being treated for the so-called witchcraft.
Earlier on Friday 15th October this year, State Prosecutor, Joseph A.K. Sesay led in a witness to testify against the 56-year-old father.
The witness, Detective Sergeant 9775 Alhassan Teddy Turay attached to the Family Support Unit (FSU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Freetown, said he was part of a team of Police officers that visited the two alleged crime scenes in Lungi and Kambia.
Turay said that it was during their visit to the crime scene in Kambia that they discovered underpants that belonged to the girl.
The investigator told the court that it was whilst he and a Detective Police Constable (DPC) 13448 Adama Sankoh were recording the accused’s statement that they decided to visit the alleged crime scenes.
The defence lawyer, Cecil Campbell during cross-examination questioned the age of the victim on the argument that one of the endorsed medical request forms indicated her the age to be around 18-19 years.
The investigator agreed that there was no birth certificate for the girl in the course of their investigations. The officer also confirmed that the accused had told them that the reason he moved from Lumley to stay at the said hotel in Kambia (one of the alleged crime scenes) was because he was evicted from his Freetown residence.
Justice Stevens adjourned the matter for Wednesday 20th October 2021 with more witnesses to testify against Conteh. He also ordered he be remanded at the Correctional Centre on Pademba road in Freetown.
Copyright © Politico Online 19/10/21
