By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Justice Musu Damba Kamara has sentenced one Mohamed Kanu, an officer attached to the Operational Support Division (OSD) of the Sierra Leone Police to 15 years imprisonment over the 15th March 2015 killing of a soldier, Salifu Turay at Gloucester Village in the Western Area Rural District.
Kanu was arraigned in court for the offence of manslaughter and pleaded guilty to the offence of manslaughter on Monday 11th October this year. State Prosecutor Elizabeth Jalloh narrated to the court how the deceased used to reside at C110 Wilberforce Barracks in Freetown with his family including his wife, one Jeneba.
The state counsel said the wife and the accused were having an affair, and following an altercation with her husband she left their Wilberforce residence and went on to stay with Kanu.
Husband and wife settled their marital issue and Jeneba went back to the barracks, but according to the prosecutor, the woman was still communicating with her lover Kanu.
Lawyer Jalloh said that it was the wife that connected the accused with her husband who wanted to sell his plot of land located at Gloucester village. The lawyer said that both Kanu and Turay agreed to go to the said plot of land, met at Thirty Junction and drove off on a motorbike with Turay being the rider.
The state prosecutor said that it was while they were on their way that Kanu took out his gun and shot Turay.
The accused subscribed to the information provided by the state prosecutor but told the court the killing of Turay was accidental. He said that it was while on their way that Turay felt his gun and stopped his bike and attempted to forcefully take it from him. He claimed a scuffle broke out between the two and that it was during that process he mistakenly shot the soldier.
The convict pleaded for mercy and asked for forgiveness from family members of Turay. He said he regretted his action.
Given the opportunity by the judge for family members of the victim to address the court, the elder brother of the deceased, Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Salifu Samura said that they will not take the law into their hands. He added that had it not been for the law, he would have retaliated on the convict for killing his younger brother.
Daughter of the deceased, Simithy Turay, also a serving soldier, said that they as a family rely on the decision of the court.
The defence counsel, Komba Kanu, in his mitigation plea said that the convict is a first-time offender and has shown remorse for the crime. He said that the convict is also a family man with two children who highly depend on him. He pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Kamara sentenced the 40-year-old OSD officer Kanu to 15 years imprisonment including time already spent on remand at the Pademba Road Correctional Centre in Freetown since 2015.
Copyright © Politico Online 13/10/21
