By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
Prosecution witness (Victim) Josephine Janneh Saidu a professional Nurse on Monday February 6th 2023, Testified in Court on how her money got missing in her house before Hon. Justice Musu Kamara of the high court No2 in Freetown
The Accused Peter Dennis Missai is before the court on a one count charge of Larceny contrary to Section 13 (a) of the Larceny Act, 1916.
According to Josephine she lives in Freetown and she is a professional nurse and knows the accused person Peter through his younger brother Titus, who introduced him as a friend in her house, she told the court.
She narrated that she lived with the accused and with other family members but nobody had access in her room only if she gave them permission to do so, she told the court.
The witness recalled that around April to October 2021 when she won a building project contract with huge sum of money paid to her, adding that she changed the money into Three Thousand Four Hundred Dollar and two Hundred and fifty pounds for someone that she owed. She told the court that with the money she decided to call the owner but he owner told her to complete it to five thousand dollar and that the said money should be paid in dollars.
Josephine told the court that in August 2021, she changed the other set of money to One Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty Dollars and called the owner again this time he told her that he’s out of the country and she decided to keep the money inside her computer bag.
She said after she kept the money she later went to check for the said the money but she couldn’t find it inside her bag, adding that she searched for two days alone but could not find it.
‘’I could not tell anyone because I don’t want my family to know that I have such money in my house’’ she narrated.
The witness furthered that later she called his brother, mother and younger sister to help search for the money and later my brother called the accused to help bring the suitcase while my younger sister search the other side of my room, adding that since they didn’t see the money she kept on searching for another two days.
She narrated that after coming from the province her sister told him that she saw Peter the accused in her room with my computer bag, she stated that with this information she received from her younger sister she threatened the accused and every member of her family ‘Saying everyone should bring a stone and that she is going back to the province to do it the traditional way
Witness told the Court in that moment peter the accused fled and never came back and later he was arrested and brought to the police station.
The witness told the court that she understands that the accused used the money to get married to her lover and bought wedding dress for all his entourage, drinks and hall for his weeding, adding that she also noticed that peter have four motorcycles which is up running for him including the motor bike he was driving.
The accused was represented by Lawyer Morrison Karimu and cross examined the witness
However Justice Musu adjoined the matter to Monday 13th February 2023