By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Justice Monfred Sesay has sentenced 25-year-old Lamrana Bangura to five years imprisonment for manslaughter.
Lamrana who was found guilty of unlawfully killing her husband, Alie Bangura, made her final appearance at the Freetown High Court in Freetown on Wednesday 22nd December 2021.
The wife was said to have had an altercation with her husband. The quarrel ensued after a neighbour called Augusta went to Lamrana and whispered in her ears in front of Alie the husband.
The evidence furthered that the husband later cautioned his wife against having dealings with the neighbour but she refused and a fight started shortly. According to the Prosecution, it was during that fight that Lamrana grabbed and squeezed her husband’s Scutum with her hands to which he collapsed and subsequently died.
Since the sad incident which occurred on the 5th December 2018, only one witness has testified in court.
This prodded the State Prosecutor, Aruna Jalloh to apply for an amendment of the indictment. The prosecutor applied for the statement of offence to be substituted with manslaughter from murder.
The State Lawyer also applied for the wordings in the particular of offence to be replaced with unlawfully killed.
Lawyer Jalloh said the application is in the interest of justice since the young lady will now be tried for a lesser offence of manslaughter instead of murder. He added that the said application will not create any injustice to the young lady.
Justice Sesay granted the application and ordered for the wife to be rearraigned for manslaughter before he ‘gratefully’ discharged the jurors.
The young lady when rearraigned for her new offence pleaded guilty as charged.
Lamrana, in her allocutus, begged the judge for mercy because she has three children, who she had with another man before marrying to the deceased, to take care of. She said she is the sole dependant of her children since their father has passed away.
Defence Lawyer, Elvis Kargbo, in his plea in mitigation on behalf of the young lady, pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy. He added that Lamrana has spent a long time in custody.
He stated that her client is a first-time offender who has a lot to contribute to society if she is giving a chance to raise her children properly. He affirmed that the wife has learnt her lessons while incarcerated.
The judge, after the plea in mitigation, sentenced Lamrana to five years imprisonment because of the welfare of her children.
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