By Francis H. Murray
Michael Kamara, who is accused of sexually penetrating a 12 year-old girl, took the witness stand in his own defence at his trial on a one count indictment of sexual penetration before Justice Monfred Sesay at the High Court in Freetown.
In his testimony on Tuesday, 6th October, the accused said he lived in a make-shift house which had two rooms - one occupied by four people and the other by two others.
He said on a certain evening at around 8pm, he saw the alleged victim enter one of the rooms in their compound and that when he asked one of his friends called Coco Bongo about the girl, he told him that the 12 year – old had gone there to visit him (Coco Bongo).
‘‘So he took her into one of the rooms and closed the door. I called some people in the area to inform them of what was going on. They came over and discovered that Coco Bongo and the girl were together for sexual intercourse. At around 9pm, he accompanied the girl as she returned home,’’ he said.
The accused told the court that on the 28th of October 2020, a police officer by the name of Mr Kamara arrested him and asked him whether he knew the alleged victim to which he replied in the affirmative. He said the police officer told him that he had found the alleged victim in a room with somebody but that he couldn’t tell who it was after which the officer departed.
‘‘Around 7pm on Monday 29th October 2019, I was coming from one of my boss’ house when I saw the victim leading people to our compound. So I also got there in time and they asked me whether I lived in that compound and I said yes. They also asked whether the alleged victim had visited the compound and I told them that she was there with someone else. So they said they were investigating the matter and that I will be taken into custody until they find who was responsible,’’ he explained.
The accused added that the alleged victim was taken to her father’s house and flogged by her uncle because they said she didn’t want to tell the person with whom she was in the room.
He said he was locked up in cell for a week before he was removed to make statement, adding that the police later told him that they had gone to arrest a suspect in the compound but he had escaped.
The accused said he told the police in his statement that the alleged victim did not go to their compound as his guest but that the police insisted that they were charging the matter to court because the alleged victim had identified him as the person she was with in the room.
His testimony followed the close of the prosecution’s case after they had led four witnesses in evidence, including the alleged victim and her father.
When asked by the presiding judge whether he had any witnesses, the accused replied saying: “I have no witnesses.”
The matter was adjourned to the 8th October 2020 for the closing addresses from both the prosecution and the defence.
The prosecution alleges that Michael Kamara, on a date unknown between the 23rd and 27th October 2020, in the Western Area of Freetown, engaged in an act of sexual penetration with a child below the age of 18.
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