By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
Musu Sinnah and Joel Salter Williams have been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each by Justice Ivan Sesay of the high Court no.1 in Freetown for manslaughter.
The first accused person Musu Sinnah was seen in court crying profusely before her sentencing.
Justice Ivan Sesay in his summoning up to the court said the accused person was indicted on the 20th October 2021, the accused person was charged with the case of murder, which was amended to manslaughter with no objection from defense counsel with its particulars of offence which reads that the accused person Musu Sinnah on the 24th May 2021 at Freetown in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone unlawfully killed Aruna Kamara her husband.
Justice Ivan Sesay in his address to the court said the revised death penalty abolishment Act in 2021 attracts a maximum sentence of 25 years.
He also went further to say that the standard and burden of proof against the accused person rests on the prosecution to prove its case beyond reasonable doubts as he said the prosecution in proving it’s case called 5 witnesses, one of factual witness and four formal witnesses of which renowned Forensic Pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner Dr Simeon Owizz Koroma testified.
He said the corroborated testimonies of the prosecution witnesses in proving the accused person guilt, of which they testified that the accused person stabbed the husband to death with a knife, and ran to the back of the house where she hid the knife containing blood stains of the deceased.
Justice Ivan Sesay said the prosecution closed its case against the accused person, the accused person he said was asked to choose from the list of options in her defense to testify or rely on her statement made to the police, however he said, the accused said she relied on her statement made to the police of which he said was a confessional statement, wherein she confessed to the police that she stabbed the deceased person, as she said in her confessional statement that there was a fight between herself and the deceased person.
He also said prosecution witnesses avered during their testimony that there was no fight between both parties.
Furthermore on his judgement he said the accused person said that she held the lower part of the knife, while the deceased held the sharp part of the knife, and that it was the deceased person who stabbed himself of a 2cm stabbed wound on the neck.
Justice Ivan Sesay said in his legal view that the accused person was finding an excusable defense to exonerate herself.
In conclusion to his summoning up he said it’s safe to say the prosecution proved the guilt of the accused person, wherein he said he found the accused guilty of the offence of manslaughter.
The accused pleaded for mercy, crying profusely. Defense counsel for the accused person C. Tucker from Legal Aid Board in her plea mitigation for and on behalf of the accused person pleaded for mercy, that the accused person is a mother with a child aged 6years, that she’s a very young and promising citizen of this country and of given a chance would a meaningful contribution for herself and towards the nation.
Justice Ivan Sesay said he is of considerate mind taking into consideration the relationship between the accused person and the deceased, and defense plea mitigation for and behalf of the accused person and the age of the accused person aged 23 years.
Justice Ivan Sesay sentenced the accused person Musu Sinnah to 20 years imprisonment.
Joel Salter Williams also made his final appearance before Justice Ivan Sesay of the high Court no.1 in Freetown on one count charge of manslaughter.
The judge in his summoning up also said the accused person killed his own son, aged 11 years.
He said voluntarily confessed of his crime during his statement made to the police. He said the prosecution proved its case against the accused person calling in several witnesses, including renowned Forensic Pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner Dr Simeon Owizz Koroma who testified of the autopsy test that was conducted on the deceased that he said showed physical assault, multiple blunt fractures, dislocated neck fracture and more.
According to the pathologist, the cause of death was natural; the death was as a result of assault on the deceased.
Justice Ivan Sesay, giving a brief backdrop history of the incident said the accused and son went to church together but the son wore an outfit that the accused was not pleased with and ordered the son to return home amd have a change of outfit amd back to church.
He went on that the son, failed to return back to church and found the son home, this he said got him angry and lashed out at his son, beating him with the rope of a bag that led to the son’s death, though the judge said this Act was not intentionally done.
Accused was found guilty of manslaughter by Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay.
He pleaded for mercy, and defense counsel C. Tucker from Legal Aid Board in her plea mitigation for and on behalf of the accused person said the Act done by the accused not intentional, the accused is father also to accused 5years of age child, asks for the judge to temper justice with mercy and for the judge to consider the time the accused has spent at the Male Correctional Center.
However Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay sentenced the accused person to 20 years imprisonment amd sentence for run from the time of his incarceration
State Counsel was represented by J.S Tucker Esq and Defense Counsel for both accused persons was represented by C.Tucker Esq from Legal Aid Board.
