By: Audrey Raymonda John
The accused, Augustine Smith, made his first appearance before the principal Magistrate of the Freetown Magistrate Court No.1, Magistrate Sahr Kekura, on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, for stealing over twenty thousand new Leones from the complainant’s account by using her ATM card.
Accused Smith was arraigned before Magistrate Kekura on one count of larceny contrary to section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused, Smith, stole twenty-eight thousand new Leones (Le28.00) from Salamatu Sankoh’s account by using her ATM card at the United Bank of Africa (UBA) Rawdon Street in Freetown on Thursday, 15 August 2024.
After the charges were read and explained to the accused, Smith, he pleaded guilty to the offense.
After pleading guilty, the accused told Magistrate Kekura that he and the complainant were living together and had a child.
When Magistrate Kekura asked him what he had done with the money, he said he had used it for traveling purposes under Q-net, but the traveling process did not go through.
The complainant said she and the accused are not living together, but they have a child together, and the accused has access to her room as he usually goes and sleeps there.
She further stated that she had saved money in the bank to care for the child as the accused was not performing his responsibility as a father to the child.
Magistrate Kekura adjourned the matter to Friday, 15 November 2024, for recording and sentencing.