By Politico Staff Writer
A Convicted Schoolteacher, who was part of 11 prisoners released in Kono during the just concluded prison court sessions, has narrated his ordeal getting in conflict with the law and ending up in jail.
Edward Emmanuel of Saint Augustine Secondary School, Lungi in Port Loko District according to a report by the Judiciary Communication unit recounted his story to Appeal Court judge, Monfred Sesay on Friday 22nd September 2023, saying he went to Kono to establish a branch of the school but later decided to invest in a Tele Centre to charge mobile phones. While operating the center he said, some of the phones went missing and the matter was reported to the police for investigation.
According to him, he appeared before a magistrate, was convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment.
The convict, however, noted that he had already served three years and seven months of his jail term, but expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone for the review of cases handled by Magistrates across the country.
Another 25-year-old convict, Komba Suma who was convicted for the offence of Wounding with Intent was quoted saying, “I was convicted for wounding my sister’s husband, David Kpaka at Wordu in Sando Chiefdom.”
Suma said he had already served two years and eight months at the Sefadu Correctional Centre before being released.
Justice Sesay freed a total of 11 prisoners from the Kono Sefadu Correctional Centre who had been sentenced for various offences.
The Prison Courts which commenced on 21 September 2023 is geared towards reviewing cases being handled by magistrates to determine whether they were consistent with laws that governed them. The aim of the prison court is to also reduce those who have already spent most of their imprisonment and reduce those who have longer sentences.
The prison court and the just concluded judicial week were supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the aim of increasing access to justice and decongesting prisons across the country.
Judges were assigned to preside over cases inside Correctional Centres across the country including Mafanta, Kono, Makeni, Bo, Waterloo and the Freetown Maximum Correctional Centre.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (29/09/23)
