November 4, 2021
By Hafsatu Z Bangura
A businessman, Amara Benvolia Sankoh alias Chair has on the 2nd of November 2021 made his first appearance before Justice Manuella Harding at the Sexual Modern offences court in Freetown on two count charges to wit sexual penetration contrary to section 19 of the sexual offences.
First prosecution witness (PW1) testified before Justice Manuella Harding at the modern sexual offences court in Freetown about how the accused person Amara Benvolia Sankoh alias Chair sexually penetrated her.
The victim said that on the first day of school, her friend’s Haja and Princess asked her to accompany her to the accused business place of work an uncle to the said girls and gave them money a sum of Le1,000 each and her le2,000 and the accused person urged them to come again the next day.
The victim narrated how she and her friends went to the accused person again and her and her friends were arguing about whom the accused wants and the accused responded saying it was the victim he wants and the accused person asked the victim to visit him again this time alone.
The victim furthered that she went to the accused person business place alone this time and the accused person bought yoghurt and couscous and gave the victim le5, 000 and told the victim to wait for him inside the bathroom and penetrated with his finger inside her private organ, the victim said she felt bad and the accused person told her to go the next day.
The victim said she went there again and the accused bought the same yoghurt and couscous for her and penetrated with his finger inside of her and threatened the victim not to say a word to anyone else he would kill the victim and continued penetrating, the victim said she wanted to shout but the bathroom door was closed.
The victim said a lady by the name of Mariama passing by noticed the door was locked and knocked and the accused person called out to the lady and the lady asked the accused what he was doing with the victim and Mariama took the victim to her own mother and Mariama’s mother told her to leave the victim alone and Mariama did.
The victim also said the accused person took her to his business place and asked the victim to wait for her and the victim did and the accused person asked the victim if her mother would beat her and the victim said yes.
The victim said she returned home by 5pm and lied to her mother when questioned by her mother of her whereabouts and the victim told the mother that she was at a red cross meeting but the victim’s mother said if there was a meeting they would have been given a slip and asked to sign it, the victim said her mother forced her to say the truth of her whereabouts.
The victim said unfortunately for her Mariama met with the victim’s mother and told her that every day the victim was at the accused persons place and also told the victim’s mother that the victim was engaged in OSUSU to a woman and Mariama showed the victim’s mother the woman.
The victim said Mariama told the victim’s mother of the accused person and how she caught the victim and the accused inside of a bathroom.
According to the particulars of offence the accused person, Amara Benvolia Sankoh alias chair between the 1st day of December 2020 and the 31st day of December 2020 in Freetown engaged in sexual penetration with a child.
The accused was represented by Randy S. Bangura Esq. while the state was represented by O. V. Robbin Mason no bail was granted to the accused person and victim in custody for further investigations as the matter has been adjourned to the 9th November 2021.