EX-Military Officer Testifies In Murder Matter

By: Hafsatu Z Bangura

Led in evidence by State Prosecutor J.S Tucker for the state, the sixth prosecution witness John Kargbo in continuation of his testimony testified before Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay of the high court no.1 in Freetown.

The prosecution witness said he is a retired military officer who now lives on his pension money. He identified all accused persons in the dock.  He said he arrived at the Lunsar police station where he called one of the senior officers from the Portloko police station to take the 3^rd accused person into custody along with the first accuse person Moses  Santigie Kargbo.

He continued further that he also arrested the 2^nd accused person Chernor Sesay at his house along with the third accused person. He said when the police troops from Portloko arrived he specifically told them to do a check inspection parade to know who used his/her weapon as he said he suspected the 1^st accused in this regard and smelled the gun powder from his gun.

He said he told them of this procedure also when there’s an alarm of a gunshot incident all officers must surrender their firearms to do thorough inspection and identification if at any given point their firearms were used in any gun related incident.

Mr. Kargbo went on that he saw the head of police from the Portloko police station escorted the 1^st accused to a room and was brought out from the room with no uniform and his fire arm taken from him and was dressed as an ordinary civilian and was rushed out together with the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th accused person into a van.

Prosecution witness Mr. John Kargbo said a week later he was asked to make statements at the Portloko police station.

Cross examination by defense counsel for the 1^st accused person I.S.Y. Kamara Esq inquired his looks before the trial of the matter and the witness responded that he had a twisted dread locks but had to cut it off.

He further asked him if he made statements to the police in connection of the matter, the accused in his affirmative said he signed on the statements made at the Portloko police station but defense counsel challenged him that he never made any statements to the police in relation to the matter but was only called for identification parade.

 That is to identify specific persons involved in the crime or that actually committed the crime but the prosecution witness refute to this claim and said he was never called to do such but made statements at the Portloko police station.

Defense Counsel for the 1^st accused in his cross examination questioned the witness that if at any point he heard of the 1^st accused discussing plans of killing the deceased person Mohamed Speedo Kamara or anyone.

 The witness said he never heard the 1^st accused discuss such with anyone but suspected him when the body of the deceased was at the hospital and smelled the gun powder from his fire arm.

I.S.Y Kamara Esq defense counsel for the 1^st accused person Moses Santigie Kargbo furthermore in his cross examination inquired of the witness the specification of the fire arm the 1^st accused person had in his possession, the witness identified the fire arm as an Uzi fire arm he said is a sub machine gun, compact automatic weapon that is used throughout the world as a police special forces fire arm.

Lawyer Kamara also challenged the witness that if he would be surprise to know that the 1^st accused was asleep when he arrived at the station and was awakened by his colleague officer.

The witness said upon entering the station at first, he never saw the 1^st accused but met him at the back of the station dressing into his uniform and that his colleague officer Gibo were together but not with the 1^st accused.

He ended his cross examination with the witness that if the prosecution witness John Kargbo would be surprised to know that the firearm of the 1^st accused was properly checked and was intact, but the prosecution witness said he smelled the gun powder from the 1^st accuses` gun.

C.I Williams defense counsel for the 2^nd accused person in his cross examination said the prosecution witness identified the 2^nd accused as a suspect to the police in relation to the matter, the witness Mr. John Kargbo said he never identified him as a suspect because he knew of his plans as the 2^nd accused discussed with him of his plans and for him to join him in his plans but declined the offer and told the accused person to make peace with the deceased person.

C. Tucker Esq defense counsel for the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th accused person from Legal Aid Board cross examined the witness on behalf of his client the 3^rd accused that the witness mentioned in his testimony in chief that he arrested him at the house of the 2^nd accused and he’s familiar with the 3^rd accused.

He said in response to defense counsel of the connection of the 3^rd accused person in relation to the matter, he said that the knew the 3^rd accused person from Freetown and that the 2^nd accused had told him that he needed people to help him do the crime which he said he declined the offer and that the 3^rd accused and the 2^nd accused person slept together in the same room and saw them at the time of the incident at Rogbere junction on a bike with the 2^nd accused person.

He concluded his testimony that the second accused person was his errand boy and that they were very close.