By Francis H. Murray
Defense lawyers representing Mariama Sajor Barrie and Ibrahim Bah, who are accused of murdering five-year old Khadija Saccoh, have cross-examined Dr. Simeon Owis Koroma before Magistrate Mark Ngegba in Freetown.
Under cross-examination by lawyer Alhaji M. Kamara, the government pathologist disclosed that the deceased was first seen by a medical doctor who had established that she suffered from pneumonia and that he only got to know that from a relative of the deceased. He said he didn’t crosscheck the information or reach out to the medical doctor in question because the supposed cause of death certificate issued had no name on it.
The witness denied that he solely followed the instructions of the police for an autopsy to be done on the deceased and added that he didn’t rely on the information he received from the family of the deceased.
The witness further told the court that he didn’t observe any signs of pneumonia on the deceased during the course of his autopsy, stressing that she was deprived of oxygen going through her brain as a result of the manual strangulation which resulted in her death.
Asked whether the deceased died on the sport, the witness replied: “I did not do a job on the living and certainly could not tell at what time she died because it varies.’’
The pathologist admitted to have seen “with my naked eyes the damage which was done to the spinal cord of the deceased” and noted that no finger print test was requested by the police even when there was fingernail cuts on her neck.
Answering questions from the lawyer representing the 2nd accused, E. T Koroma, who announced that he was adopting the augments of his colleague representing the 1st accused, the witness stressed that the five-year old died as a result of neurogenic shock because her nerves were injured, adding that the signs of virginity were absent.
Second prosecution witness, Detective Police Constable Emmanuel Johannes, attached to the Scene of Crime Department of the Lumley Police Station, recalled that he was on duty on the 20th of June 2020 when Detective Sergeant 10745 asked him to witness the postmortem examination in respect of the alleged murder which was under investigation.
‘‘I and the leading investigator, Sergeant Kargbo and some of the relatives went to the mortuary. While there, the Chief Pathologist did an external examination on the deceased which I saw with my eyes. I saw with my eyes a black spot on the deceased, a swollen neck, as well as bitten tongue. I also observed blood-shot eyes and the palm of the deceased was also pale. When her legs were opened, I took snap shots of the virgaina as well as the back part of the body," he said.
He added that after the outside examination of the deceased was conducted, the Pathologist started tearing her body parts, and her neck was open. He said he also took snap shots of the neck and that her tongue which was open had bite marks.
The witness said he developed the snap shots into hard copies which he then tendered to the court as exhibit.
When asked whether he was told about the bitten tongue, he responded saying: "I did not say it because I was told, but I witnessed it and saw it with my eyes before I took photos.’’ He noted that he didn’t observe any scratches on the neck of the deceased.
Lawyer for the second accused, E. T Koroma, questioned the witness's qualification to demonstrate to the court as a professional in that regard and the witness admitted that he didn’t have a certificate in photography and that no time or date was indicated on the photographs as to when the shots were taken.
The matter was adjourned to the 13th August 2020.
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