By: Fatima Rogers
18 years old sexually penetrated victim on the 26th September, 2023 narrated before Justice Adrian Fisher of the high court as to how the accused Lansana Kalie and others inserted iron rod into her vagina.
The learned judge also ordered Lansana Kalie to be kept in custody for sexual penetration of a child.
Police report states that Lansana Kalie together with other persons unknown sexually penetrated a 17-year-old girl at Matru Jong in Bonthe District southern Sierra Leone.
State lawyer Solomon Kekurah led his first prosecution witness who is also the victim in testimony.
The 18-year-old victim who is also a pupil and resident of Bo District has testified in court about what she went through in the hands of the accused persons.
She said she was 17 years old when the incident happened to her. The victim recognized the accused persons and recalled that on November 16th 2021 she was in Pujehun with her mother and went to her father in Bonthe District for a holiday and during that period her father told her not to return to Pujehun District again that she will be attending school in Bonthe District instead.
She made mentioned of an issue between herself and father over buying her school, which made her father to send her out of his house and warned that no one in the village should allow her in their place to sleep that night.
The victim pointed that she left her in the evening.
She mentioned that Lansana Kalie and four other men captured and took her to the bush for a while then they took her into a room in town but blindfolded her eyes. She said while inside the room, she heard someone crying in the room and she tried to check who it was but she saw no one.
The victim said after a while a little girl who had also been abducted by the men came close to her.
According to the victim very early the next day the accused came and took them to the bush again but transferred them to another location in the bush because the parents and community people were desperately looking for the two missing girls.
The victim said she overheard the men talking about what to do with them, whether to remove their private parts or their blood but one of them said they only need to remove their blood.
She said the men took the young girl from the back of a palm tree and brought her in front. One Fullah man was in charge of the operation, as he was in charge of the operation held an iron rod and inserted it into the mouth of the 8-year-old girl and drained her blood and transferred her blood into a water bottle (tutic) and they took her body to the river.
She explained that she was taken to another that night by the same men and early the next morning she was taken to the back of the house and removed her clothes. The Fullah man advised the others not to remove her parts but to remove her blood like the other girl and Lansana with two other men held the iron rod used to drain the blood of the 8-year-old girl and inserted it into her (vagina) and she was unconscious, but woke up in the hospital.
She said when she woke up she was unable to speak. After that she always experience chronic stomach pain and has not been able to see her menstrual period normally as she does not even see it for some months.
During cross-examination of the witness by lawyer Randy Bangura, she said her eyes were tired but she could tell who did those acts to her.
She said she is aware that Lansana was apprehended when he went to the police.
She said she saw Lansana the night she was abducted.
The victim said her eyes were open before she went unconscious.
In further evidence, Detective police constable Kposowa attached at the CID Makeni Division in his testimony led by lawyer Kekurah recalled that he was on duty when he received a transfer case of murder and sexual penetration with statements from Matru Jong for investigation.
Detective Kposowa said on 15th November 2021 together with other investigators he went to Talia Bonleku Chiefdom and reported to the Local Unit Commander (LUC) and they also went to the Paramount Chief and later took statements from the victim and some witnesses.
He said they went to the grave of the 8-year-old girl murdered by Lansana and others.
He said statements was obtained from the victim who identified one of the accused persons by throwing a cup at him and equally mentioned Lansana as one of those who murdered Magaiya Conteh and also sexually assaulted herself.
The detective continued and said their report was submitted to the Matru Jong Police Division and left for Freetown.
He said on 22nd December 2021 police officers from Bo and Matru Jong District arrested and brought in Lansana to the CID headquarters in Freetown.
On the 23rd December 2021, Kposowa disclosed that himself together with detective P. A. Marque took statements from Lansana and he signed by affixing his right hand fingerprint.
He added that on the 17th February 2022 he and inspector Moinjama charged Lansana for the offenses of conspiracy, murder and causing bodily harm. The charge statements were tendered in court.
In cross-examination led by lawyer Randy Bangura, Detective Kposowa said they only charge Lansana on conspiracy and murder only.
He replied yes, when asked if Lansana and others were charged with the offenses of murder and conspiracy only.
Kposowa answered yes, saying that Lansana made mentioned of different places he was on the 16th November 2021 but all within the same District.
Detective Kposowa said Lansana identified certain people he was with on November 16, 2022 at some point and not throughout the day.
Kposowa said the prosecution did not give a specific time of the offenses but only provided a specific day, when asked if they informed Lansana about the time for the different activities for which he was being investigated.
He said Lansana told them he was in a village called Lombeku which is connected to the scene of crime by road.
Kposowa said yes, Lansana told them in his statements that he was with other people brushing the Blama Village Field during the day.
Justice Fisher has adjourned the matter to Friday October 8, 2023.