By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Police Sergeant Brima Sama has testified against one Joseph Gbanie who is standing a murder trial at the High Court in Freetown.
Gbanie is before the court over allegations that he strangled his girlfriend one Jenneh Buanie which resulted to her death days after the act.
According to previous evidence by then State Pathologist, Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma at an earlier sitting, the girlfriend suffered from excessive bleeding tissues that were present around the neck. The forensic pathologist had told the court that it led to an interruption of flow of oxygen to the brain and subsequently her death. Dr. Owizz had also told the court that there were however no scratches on the neck of the deceased.
At the end of that earlier trial, State Prosecutor Solomon Christian Kekura had proposed to the judge, Justice Samuel Omodele Taylor for another witness to testify in the said trial. The judge had granted the leave to Kekura without opposition from defence counsel Lamin J. Kamara.
However, according to Sergeant Sama who the additional witness that was asked to be subpoenaed to testify in court had passed away. Sama said a relative he met at 72 New London Street, Gloucester Village told him of the death of the proposed witness, Yvette Miatta Sesay.
In lieu of that, Kekura then proposed to the court that the earlier testimony given by the late woman at the Magistrate Court be used as evidence in the trial at the High Court. Justice Taylor granted leave for the said testimony to be read for the jurors in court.
The late Yvette had said she was at her local business place when the alleged victim Jenneh and the accused Gbanie appeared in front of her. The woman had testified that the deceased Jenneh was using abusive language directed at the accused. The lady had said that she admonished Jenneh to stop and that they should settle whatever the problem was. She had said that she left them and went to use the restroom.
Yvette had also explained that about 11-12 days later she had seen the late victim being rushed to the hospital by some relatives. She had said that she later learned that Jenneh had passed away.
After the completion of the reading of the statement by court registrar Alfred Conteh, the accused told the court that the late Yvette never made a statement to the police. He said that the woman was only called to the Magistrate Court to testify.
Justice Taylor adjourned the matter for Thursday 2nd September 2021 with the prosecution set to close their case.
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