By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Justice Alusine Sesay has sentenced one Joseph Tucker, 20, to seven years at the Pademba Road maximum facility for housebreaking and larceny after pleading guilty.
Tucker is said to have broken into the dwelling of one Pastor Annette Kargbo and carted away with a total sum of forty-two million, and fifty thousand Leones (Le 42,050,000) early this year.
Pastor Annette, the victim, told the judge that it was not the first time that Tucker has stolen from people. She mentioned a couple of occasions wherein the young man stole from some church members and went scotch free.
Tucker, on the other hand, told the judge that he hid the stolen money before he was remanded. And that he kept the money at a certain house on Carlton Carew Drive.
The pastor, in contrast, said that when Tucker stole the said money from her, he spent eight days at a hotel in Makeni. She doubted that the young man still has the money. She stated that they pleaded with the accused to return the money on several occasions but that he refused to accede to their plea.
The old lady added that the accused at some point in time also told the police that the money was at Samba gutter and in another instance told them that the said money was with one Mohamed. On both occasions, it turned out to be false according to the complainant.
Based on the evidence in court, Jesse Tucker, the State Prosecutor requested for the judge to hand the maximum sentence because of the harm caused by the accused to the complainant, Pastor Annette.
Legal Aid representative, Cecilia Tucker, however, beseeched the judge to temper justice with mercy. She added that the accused did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty on his first appearance. She affirmed that the accused is a young man with a bright future after serving his sentence.
Justice Sesay, based on the evidence in court, handed down a seven-year sentence to the accused on the notion that it will serve as a deterrent.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (24/09/21)
