By Audrey Raymonda John
Samuel Yajo, a commercial bike rider, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment by Magistrate John Manso Fornah of Pademba Road Court No. 2, after pleading guilty to one count of larceny, contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the police charge sheet, on Saturday, 23rd August 2025, at Hooke Street Junction, Kissy, Freetown, in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, the accused stole one steel door valued at Le2,500. The item belonged to Mohamed Hassan Kemoh but was under the custody of Adikalie Samura at the time of the theft.
When the charge was read and explained, Yajo pleaded guilty.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Isatu Baba Musa, prosecuting, tendered both the voluntary caution statement and the charge statement as evidence, which were marked as Exhibits A1–8 and B1–2, respectively. She noted that the accused was a first-time offender.
Yajo, who was unrepresented by legal counsel, pleaded with the court for leniency, asking the magistrate to temper justice with mercy.
In delivering his judgment, Magistrate Fornah considered the fact that the accused is a first-time offender, pleaded guilty without wasting the court’s time and has expressed remorse.
However, the magistrate also highlighted that the complainant was deprived of his property and that a message of deterrence must be sent.
The court therefore sentenced Yajo to six months imprisonment, with an option to restore the stolen steel door or pay its equivalent value of Le2,500. The magistrate ruled that the sentence is to be served in full.