By Francis M Murray
Justice Ivan Ansumana Sesay of the High Court in Freetown has sentenced one Sheku Collier, alias Tapo, to 14 years imprisonment after he was convicted on a one count indictment for sexually penetration.
Justice Sesay, in his judgement on Wednesday 8th July, said the prosecution proved its case against the 36-year old that sexually penetrated a 10-year old child. The judge said the victim ‘‘sufficiently identified’’ the convict as the perpetrator of the offense, an event the prosecution said took place in August 2019. Justice Sesay added that the prosecution proved that the convict intentionally had sexual intercourse with the child and then gave corroborated evidence that the convict penetrated her in his house.
The victim had told police investigators that she knew the accused very well and recalled that on that on the 2nd of August 2019, the convict called her into his room, penetrated her and then warned her not explain about the encounter to anyone.
In her statement to the police, the mother of the victim said she realized that her daughter was walking around abnormally and upon careful inspection she saw blood and semen dripping from the private parts of the 10-year old.
In his statement to the police, the convict had denied the allegations against him, arguing that he didn’t know the victim and was in fact with his boss on the day the prosecution says the incident occurred.
In her plea of mitigation, lawyer Cecelia Tucker from Legal Aid Board, pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy and hand down a sentence that would allow the convict to return to society. She said the convict was a father of a 4-year old boy.
State prosecutor, Jessie Tucker, urged the judge to consider what he described as the “aggravating circumstances of the offence” and give the convict the maximum sentence of 15 years.
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