By Francis H. Murray
Chernor Sawaneh, a relative of Kadiatu Yeamie Kargbo, who is deceased, allegedly murdered by four men, testified before Magistrate Hannah Bonnie on Monday in the ongoing preliminary investigations into a two count charge including conspiracy to murder.
The witness recognized all the accused persons, naming the 1st accused as a bike rider, the 2nd as the Chairman for the bike riders and the 3rd accused as the youth Chairman.
He said his aunt who was a fish trader trusted the 1st accused who received some amount of money from her to buy fish from a nearby village but the transaction was delayed for days.
He recalled that the 1st accused had visited the deceased at their house on the 8th March 2020, where his aunty drew his attention to the fact that the first accused had not delivered the fish for which he collected money from her, adding that the deceased told him she was heading to Kamabai with the first accused to determine what happened with the fish.
The witness told the court that after three days without receiving a word from either his aunt or the 1st accused, he questioned the accused over the whereabouts of the deceased. ‘‘I went to the community of the 1st accused where I met his mother and explained that to her that her son had taken my aunty to the nearby village since Sunday and she had not returned. So his mother and some stakeholders asked him and he replied saying that he had taken the woman to the neighbouring village to buy her fish and had left her there,’’ he explained.
He added that he explained the matter to the Town Chief of his community who refused to investigate the matter but referred the case to the Kamabia police station where statements were obtained from him as well as the 1st accused.
His said the police launched an investigation into the matter and further referred the case to the Makeni Police division adding that the police later called him to identify the corpse of a woman that was found abandoned by a bridge. He said he was able to identify the corpse of his aunt by the cloth she wore when she left the house with the 1st accused that day.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons: Ishmael Koroma, Issa Alhaji Mansaray, Ernest Numeh Conteh and Lamin Tarawally on Sunday 8th March 2020, at Kamagbemgeh Road, in the Biriwa Chiefdom, Bombali district, murdered Kadiatu Yeamie Kargbo.
Lawyer representing the 2nd, 3rd and 4th accused persons James Fornah Sesay could not cross-examine the witness because the 1st accused wasn’t represented by a lawyer.
Magistrate Hannah Bonnie urged the 1st accused to get a lawyer, describing the allegations against him as ‘‘very serious.’’
The matter, prosecuted by Assistant Superintendent of police Ibrahim S. Mansaray was adjourned to the 10th of August 2020.
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