By: Audrey Raymonda John
On Wednesday, June 25th, 2025, Claudia Pearce, a 15-year-old juvenile, and Gloria Pearce were brought before the court and subsequently sent to the juvenile and female correctional facilities by Magistrate Mustapha Brima Jah of Pademba Road Court No. 1. They are accused of sharing an intimate image of a colleague without her consent.
The two were arraigned on two counts: sharing an intimate image without consent, contrary to Section 48(1)(a) of the Cyber Security and Crime Act of 2021 (Act No. 7 of 2021), and posting sexually explicit images without consent, contrary to Section 48(1)(e) of the same Act.
According to the particulars of the offense, Claudia Pearce and Gloria Pearce, on or around April 2025, at No. 5 Malta Street, Kossoh Town, Freetown, in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, allegedly shared an intimate image or video of a person identified as Mamidi Mansaray, without her consent. The prosecution stated that the act was carried out whether or not the internet was used to shame, humiliate, frighten, or cause harm to the depicted person.
Furthermore, the police alleged that on the same date and location, the accused posted sexually explicit images or videos without the depicted person’s consent, with the intent to shame, humiliate, frighten, or harm her.
The victim was called as a witness and gave evidence through the police Sergeant Lahai M. (Sergeant 9939).
Defense counsel representing the accused persons requested bail, but it was denied due to the seriousness of the charges. Both accused individuals appeared in court well-dressed; the first accused, Claudia Pearce, is 15 years old, while the second, Gloria Pearce, is 20 years old.
Magistrate Jah ordered that the first accused be taken to the juvenile center, while the second was remanded to the female correctional facility. The case was adjourned to Friday, June 27th, 2025, for further hearing.