March 16, 2021
By: Audrey. R. John
Abdul Koroma was sent back to jail after he appeared before Magistrate Mark Ngegba at the Freetown Magistrate Court No. 1 in the ongoing preliminary Investigation into allegations of robbery with aggravation..
According to the police, accused person Abdul Koroma, alias Diamond on Saturday 5th December, 2020, at No. 12 Kossie Williams Drive off Aberdeen road, cockle Bay Freetown conspired with other persons unknown to commit a felony, to wit robbery with aggravation.
Complainant in the matter is one Mala Tilwani who was allegedly robbed several items valued at over two hundred million Leones.
Consequently, the accused faced several counts charges of conspiracy contrary to law, robbery with aggravation contrary to section 23(1) of the larceny Act, 1916 as repealed and replaced by section 2 of the imperial statutes (criminal law) adoption (amendment) Act 1971, Act No.16 of 1971.
Tilwani recalled on Saturday 5th December 2020, when she was at home in the evening hours of 11pm. She said she heard a bang on her door and opened it. “When I opened the door I saw the accused including eight others. They were in possession of cutlasses,” she said.
She said she asked the group what was the problem and accused. Then the accused shouted they have come on an operation. “Before long, the accused started pushing and slapping me on my face,” she disclosed.
She added that the accused persons divided themselves and started entering various rooms in the house, demanding money. “The accused in the dock together with others pushed me into my bedroom and removed my ring on my finger,” she revealed.
She further stated that the accused persons grabbed her son from the back and shoved him on the ground and started kicking him. “They also lifted our mattresses and picked up our mobile phones and several other items they found inside my room,” she said.
“After their operations and after they cut my son’s finger to remove his ring on his finger, they still demanded for money. They took me to my son’s room and made away with my son’s computer and the sum of $800 USD,” she further explained.
She said, the accused persons started strangulating her, but a fellow among the accosted then not kill her. “They insisted that I give them my ring which was stuck on my finger whiles they also insisted that if I do not show them where the money is they were going to kill me. The accused took me to the sitting parlor while his colleagues pulled out,” she explained.
She said she later made phone call at the Congo Cross Police Station and they swiftly came to the scene and took pictures and statement.
The matter was later transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department. “A few days later, the police showed up at my house with chains and other items, and I was able to identify my chain which the accused and his colleagues stole,” she said. The chain was brought to court and the victim and complainant identified it.
She said she and her son were issued a medical request form. She identified the said medical request form.
Complainanat revealed she has been very much apprehensive and shock over the incident.
During cross-examination, Defense Counsel, lawyer Ibrahim. J. Macfoy reiterated that the accused was not arrested in the house where the alleged incident took place. Lawyer Macfoy confronted the witness that she did not state all what she said to the police while she was testifying in court.
But t the witness maintained that all what she told the police was mentioned when she was testifying.
Lawyer Macfoy also argued that the said chain was not designed by a factory only for the complaint, adding that the complaint and witness did not have receipt for the chain.
Lawyer Macfoy requested for bail for his client, but was not granted by Magistrate Mark Ngegba. He adjourned the matter to the 22nd March 2021.