By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Justice John Bosco Allieu has sentenced a young woman, Bernadette Yeama Solomon to life imprisonment for murdering a 4-year-old girl who was in her care.
Solomon, a student dressed in a blue African garb, wept bitterly after the judgment and could hardly walk and had to be held by Prison officers as she staggered down the steep staircase leading to the outside of the court, to be taken to what will be her abode for the rest of life.
The State alleged that Solomon killed 4-year-old Princess Kallon on Christmas Day last year.
Justice Allieu handed down the sentence after State Prosecutor led a total of eight witnesses who testified against Solomon.
The first prosecution witness was Christopher Kallon, who was a boyfriend to Solomon, the accused and an elder brother of the deceased girl. In his testimony, he told the judge that he was in Kailahun when Solomon called and informed him that his younger sister had died from a road accident.
He said that he was the one that informed other family members about the death of the child. He said that there was suspicion surrounding the death of her younger sister and because of that they decided that an autopsy be conducted.
The second prosecution witness was Detective Inspector Vashti Johnson who was attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Freetown. She said that when the case was transferred to her from Waterloo, she and the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) went to Connaught Hospital where they witnessed an autopsy on the girl.
The Inspector told the judge that she and a team of police officers later visited the scene where Solomon had said that an accident occurred that eventually led to the death of the young girl.
She said that their investigation from people around informed them that no such accident occurred on the said 25 December last year as alleged by Solomon.
According to Johnson the only record of such an accident was one reported by Solomon herself on Boxing Day last year -a day after the child had passed away.
The final witness for the prosecution was Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma, the pathologist that conducted the autopsy examination on Princess.
Dr. Koroma said that the child died from injuries not synonymous to motorbike or vehicle accident but from physical assault that falls under child abuse.
Solomon, in her defence, relied on her voluntary caution statement (VCS) made at the police and called a witness.
In her VCS, Solomon denied the allegations made by the State. She said that on Christmas Day last year, she and the deceased girl attended a birthday party at around 1 in the afternoon. She said that they returned to Waterloo at around 9 in the night and on-boarded a motorbike for Campbell Town.
She said that they were on the said motorbike when a certain NGO vehicle rammed them. She said that Princess fell from the bike to the ground.
The accused said that it was some area boys that assisted them to go to the hospital but that a nurse who she met on the way told her that the child was already dead after examining her.
Solomon said that the reason she did not report the matter to the police was because she was shocked after the incident. She denied that the 4-year-old girl died of physical assault.
Justice Allieu addressed the jury to be forthright in delivering their verdict and should only consider the evidence by both the prosecutor and the defence.
The 12-man jury retired at 18:26 and returned at 6:54 with a unanimous decision and found Solomon guilty of murder.
Copyright © Politico Online 17/11/21
