By: Audrey Raymonda John
First Prosecution witness (PW1), Ibrahim Mansaray, a businessman involved in printing stationaries on Tuesday 30th May 2023, narrated in court before magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road court No1 about the alleged murder of Mr Edward Ola Johnson by his student.
The accused was arraigned on one count of murder contrary to law.
According to police, the accused Mohamed Haroun Conteh on Saturday 11 March 2023 at No 5 Victoria Street Freetown murdered Mr Edward Ola Johnson.
The witness was led in evidence by State Counsel Umu Sumaray.PW1 said he knew the deceased Ola Johnson as his neighbour.
He recognized the accused Mohammed Haroun Conteh as the late teacher’s private student.
Earlier in the morning of the 11th March, he said he met Johnson at the restroom after which he left for his shop. It was after 1 pm, he said the accused came to Mr Johnson’s (now deceased) house putting on a white attire, he came to his shop requesting he wants to urinate. The accused then went into Mr Johnson’s apartment.
Later that day, the witness said it was alarmed by other neighbours that the teacher had died. Immediately he said he left his shop to the scene where he met Mr Johnson (deceased) already dead with his throat slit, two red and two blue inked pens shoved in his throat.
He said the police later came to the scene to investigate.
He told defence lawyer Emmanuel Teddy Koroma during cross-examination that he has been a neighbour with the deceased in the same compound for about 2 years.
He said there was a distance between his shop and the residence of the deceased.
He also said he has been seeing the boy around and at the same couple of times before 11th March.
That day, the witness said he told the police that it was only Mohamed Haroun Conteh (accused person) that came to Mr Johnson.
He told the court that the day of the incident was his first request from him to use the birth room.
He said the accused is the only private pupil of the late man at his house.
The witness also revealed during cross-examination that at the time he arrived at the scene after the alarm was raised, the wound was still fresh.
He said that the busy nature of his job does not prevent him from noticing other things around the area such as visitors and what happened on the premises.
He said the door leading to his shop is not the same as the one leading to their premises.
When he was asked how many times in the day did he see the deceased, he said more than twice.
He said it was around 7-8 am he and Mr. Johnson used the restroom after which he entered his apartment to watch a football game.
When he was asked by lawyer Teddy how he came to know that the late man was watching a game, the witness said the TV was on high volume which was enough to tell someone what he was watching.
The witness said Mr. Johnson who is older than him has had a very good relationship with everyone in the said compound where they resided.
The alarm of Mr. Johnson’s death he said was raised after 3 pm.
When he was questioned as to whether he saw who exactly occasioned the murder of Mr Johnson, the witness said no.
At this juncture the matter was adjourned to Friday 2nd June 2023 whiles the accused is remanded in prison.