By: Audrey Raymonda John
Alhaji Kamara, a 29-year-old fisherman, has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for the sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl. The sentence was handed down by Justice Adrian Fisher in High Court No. 1 on Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown.
Kamara stood trial on one count of sexual penetration of a child, contrary to Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act 2012 (Act No.12 of 2012), as amended by Section 4(a)(ii) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019 (Act No.8 of 2019).
The prosecution proved that between January 1st and 31st, 2024, in Freetown, Kamara engaged in an act of sexual penetration with the victim, a child below the age of 18.
During the trial, State Prosecutor Musa Pious Sesay Jr. Esq. presented the victim’s evidence. The victim testified that she was at home feeling unwell when Kamara approached her. He gave her drugs, suspected to be Tramadol. After consuming the drugs, she lost consciousness. She stated that Kamara then raped her inside her mother’s bedroom.
The victim explained that she did not initially tell anyone about the assault. Her mother discovered the crime upon examining her daughter’s vagina and realizing she had been deflowered. When questioned, the victim identified Kamara as the perpetrator. While she could not recall the exact date or time, she confirmed the assault occurred in January 2024.
Defense counsel Randy Bangura Esq. pleaded for leniency on behalf of Kamara.
Rejecting the plea for mercy, Justice Adrian Fisher imposed the maximum sentence of twenty-five years imprisonment. Kamara will serve his sentence at the male correctional facility in Freetown.