By: Audrey Raymonda John
Abdul Sesay, a footballer previously granted a presidential pardon, has been brought back to court after being accused of stealing a silver Samsung Galaxy A-15 mobile phone from Bakisa Massaquoi, the registrar at the Freetown Magistrate Court.
Sesay made his second appearance before the Principal Magistrate of Freetown Magistrate Court No. 1, Magistrate Mustapha Briama Jah, on Monday, October 6, 2025. He was arraigned on a charge of larceny, contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916.
The indictment states that on September 16, 2025, at Magistrate Court No. 1 on Pademba Road, Freetown, Sesay stole a silver Samsung Galaxy A-15 mobile phone valued at twelve thousand new Leones, belonging to Bakisa Massaquoi.
The defendant, Sesay, had previously pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him in court.
When the matter was called, the prosecutor, Inspector Mabel Tarawalie, presented the brief facts of the case. She explained that on September 16, 2025, Sesay stole the mobile phone at Magistrate Court No. 1. Inspector Tarawalie informed the court that the defendant had already pleaded guilty to the offense and submitted both the caution and charge statements made by the defendant to the police.
The prosecutor also noted that Sesay was not a first-time offender. She mentioned that only a few months ago, he had been released from prison under a presidential pardon, and now he was before the court for another offense.
At this point, the defendant, Abdul Sesay, pleaded for mercy.
Magistrate Briama Jah, after listening to both the prosecutor’s facts and the defendant’s plea for leniency, stated that the defendant’s criminal history, including his recent release on a presidential pardon, was a significant factor in the sentencing decision. Magistrate Jah noted that Sesay’s actions had shown a disregard for the opportunity granted to him by the presidential pardon.
In light of these considerations, Magistrate Jah sentenced Abdul Sesay to five (5) years of imprisonment.