By Francis H. Murray
We advise readers that some of the contents in this story may be graphic.
A nine 9-year old girl child who is alleged to have been sexually penetrated by Emmanuel Wyse, her private lessons teacher, has testified before Justice Manuela Harding at the sexual offences division of the High Court in Freetown.
Led in evidence on Friday 9th October 2020 by State Prosecutor Robin Mason Jr., the witness recognized the accused as her lessons teacher and recalled a certain Monday morning of May 2020, when she turned up late for her usual classes in the compound of the accused.
The witness said when she got there, the accused gave her work to do, which she did, followed by another assignment which she also completed, adding that by the time she finished the task, all the other teachers had left, including all the other pupils.
‘‘When I finished work, he told me not to use the back route that day which I usually use each time I went for classes. He told me to use their own route leading up to a building where the accused lived. So when I went there, I sat at the parlor in the apartment of the accused playing with another boy when he called me inside the room to borrow my pen, which I did. Then he removed my tight leggings and my pants and pushed me on the bed and climbed on top of me’’, the girl told the court. She explained how she was sexually abused and also subjected to anal penetration by the accused. “I felt pain,’’ the girl told the court.
The 9-year old added that after the accused had abused her, she dressed up and the accused told her to use the normal route leading outside the house.
She continued to note that she got home crying and refused to explain to her uncle who inquired to know what had happened, adding that she later felt comfortable to explain to her mother who in turn took her to a clinic for examination.
She said that during her examination, there was found on her pants a certain white substance which she doesn’t know any name for.
‘‘So my mother was informed about the white substance found on my pants and she took me to the accused and when he saw us, he wanted to run away and my mother asked him where he wanted to go. When confronted with the issue, he started to lie, so my mother called her younger sister and she in turn called the police who came to the scene and arrested the accused,’’ she noted.
The witness added that the mother of the accused later came to the scene and when she was informed about what had happened, she began to plead on her son’s behalf.
She said she explained exactly to the police what had happened and she was later issued a police medical request form which was taken to the hospital for treatment and examination.
Under cross-examination by defense Lawyer Darren Edwards for the accused, the witness said she attended the lessons with her brother and she was late on the day of the alleged incident. She said she used to go to the lessons at 9am but had gone at 10am without her brother.
She said she cannot recall how long she had attended the lesson.
The witness added that there were a people were in the area including other pupils and residents living in the compound on the day of the alleged incident.
She stressed that the accused's mother was not around at the time she was abused and stressed that the accused sexually penetrated her through her private part and anus. She said she didn't discover an white substance on her pants unless when she was told in the hospital.
Hajah Isata Freeman, a business woman and mother of the alleged victim also recognized the accused person and described him as not only her daughter’s teacher but also a family friend who she came to know through her elder sister.
She recalled that on Monday 18th May 2020, she had dressed up her child to go for lesson at the premises of the accused.
She said her daughter was late for the class and only got there around 10 am and only returned home after 12 noon.
She added that she knew the premises of the accused and where the classes are held which she described as a church-like structure called Word of Faith which had other dwelling buildings in it.
‘‘So I looked for her and asked her where about but she was told that she had not returned from her lessons. So I sent another boy to call her and she came home crying and explained that the accused had asked her to go into his parlor and later asked her to lend him her pen. So I took her to the nearest government clinic and I was told that she had been abused as they discovered semen on her pants,’’ she explained.
Freeman said she tried to call the accused but he didn't pick up which resulted in her taking her child to his premises where he attempted to run.
‘‘He attempted to run but I said that if he attempted to run I will chase after him. So he took us right up to her apartment and my daughter showed me the room in his apartment where she said she was abused. The accused knelt down naked and started to beg me, and I said to him “look you don't even have a boxer on. So I called my sister Fanta Kamara to call the police and the police came and took us to the station,’’ she further noted.
The witness added that the mother of the accused later came to the scene and also began to beg. She said statements were obtained from them and the police advised her to clean up her child as it was already late.
She explained of how the following day, she took her daughter to the hospital for treatment and examination and then returned to the police station the endorsed medical form.
The woman revealed that she was never shown the said medical paper, but stressed that they had cause to go for medical twice because the pain on the victim was so severe.
Under cross-examination by defense Lawyer Edwards, the witness said she knew the accused through her sister and that her daughter also attends the private classes run by the accused.
The witness said she immediately took the girl to a nearby clinic but that she couldn’t recall the name of the clinic and the name of the nurse who examined her.
Challenged that in two examinations conducted on the alleged victim, she was not given a medical report, the witness explained that the police made available the report of the second examination.
She added that she knew the compound where her daughter used to go for lessons but she had never been there before and also stated that the police had advised her to wash the undies of the victim.
She said she didn't call the police immediately after the nurse had informed her about the said abuse but went to the residence of the accused.
The matter was adjourned to the 23rd October 2020.
The prosecution alleges that the accused person on the 18th May 2020, in the Western Area of Freetown, was involved in an act of sexual penetration of a child.
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