September 14, 2021
By Audrey John
25yrs-old Laborer, Tamba Matturi, was granted Le 20 million Leones bail after the second prosecution witness, Abdul Kamara testified against him before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at the Pademba Road Court No. 1 on allegation of motorbike theft.
According to the indictment, the accused on Tuesday 6th July 2021, at Bass Street, Brookfield’s in Freetown, conspired with other persons unknown to commit a felony to wit larceny.
Police also alleged that the accused, Tamba Matturi, on the same date and place stole one TVS motorbike with registration number ARH-834 valued at Le 12 million Leones, property of Hassan Bangura.
The accused is faced with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, and Larceny contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act 1916.
Led in evidence of by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Aminatu Daboh, prosecution witness, Abdul Bangura recognized both the complaint, Hassan Bangura, and the accused, Tamba Mathew.
He recalled that on the 6th July 2021, the complainant Hassan Bangura gave him information, adding that based upon the information, he asked the complainant of his motor bike.
He said Bangura told him that he gave his motor bike to the accused which he could not produce at the time. “I asked the accused about the whereabouts of the motorbike, but he responded that someone went out to purchase something from the Market,” he said.
Kamara said he further asked the accused if he gave the individual who went with the motorbike the key of the bike, but he said the accused disclosed that he didn’t. “I did not give him any key, but he may have cut one of the cables and put it on direct mode,” he said.
Kamara suggested to the complaint that the motorbike had been stolen, but accused assured him that he will return sooner than expected. He added that the complaint whispered into his ears to get him a police officer, adding that he went to Police Headquarters and get a police officer who came to the scene and apprehended the accused and was taken to the Adelaide Street Police Station. Kamara said he later made statement at the Central Police Station.
Testing the evidence in cross-examination, the accused asked the witness about the color of clothes he was wore on the day of the alleged incident, but the witness said he could not recall.
The witness further put it to the witness that both of them did not speak in respect of the issue just as he claimed in his testimony.
However, the accused was granted Le 20 million bail plus one surety who should produce employment letter. Magistrate Kekura furthered that the bail is to be approved by the Deputy Assistant Registrar (DAR), and he adjourned the matter to the 22nd September 2021.