BY: MOHAMED SAHR
In a recent session of the ongoing court martial trial at the High Court of Sierra Leone, witness Derick Teackham provided crucial testimony regarding the utilization of a Network Video Recorder (NVR) in gathering pertinent materials related to the November 26 incident. Teackham’s statements were made before Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba and the board members of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) court martial proceeding on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Derick Teackham, during his cross-examination, revealed that he employed a Network Video Recorder as a backup drive to procure relevant materials crucial to his investigation of the November 26 incident. Teackham emphasized that the NVR operated with default settings vital for his operational requirements, despite certain issues with charging.
He underscored the limitations of the NVR’s storage capacity, noting that due to the volume of footages, it would overwrite older recordings with new ones, implying that only current footage could be backed up automatically due to the default settings.
Teackham asserted that he successfully preserved all footage from November 26, 2023, utilizing his expertise gained from 11 years of practice in the field of information and communication technology (ICT).
During the proceedings, Defence counsel Lawyer Charlie Israel Williams requested a deferment of the cross-examination, citing the prosecution’s failure to serve him notice of motion. This plea led to Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba granting an adjourned date for further proceedings, scheduled for Monday, April 15, 2024.
Meanwhile, Defence counsel I. Kamara expressed a lack of questions for the 11th and 25th accused persons but sought additional time for research regarding the 9th accused, a request that was denied.
State counsel J.A.K Sesay highlighted exhibit ADQ as the primary source of evidence available to the witness.
Consequently, Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba adjourned the matter to Monday, April 15, 2024, marking a continuation of the court martial trial’s deliberations.
