By Audrey Raymonda John
In the Pademba Road Court No. 2, Police Inspector Mohamed Jusu presented a crucial cyber analyst report before Magistrate Bangura in the ongoing case against Ali Jaffal. Jaffal, now making his fifth court appearance, faces six charges including possession of arms without a license, possession of ammunition without a license, and control of small arms without a license, all in violation of Sierra Leonean law.
The charges stem from an incident on April 6, 2024, at the Young Sports Club (YSC) facility on Wilkinson Road, Freetown. Jaffal was allegedly found in possession of a Makarov pistol and six 9x19mm rounds without the necessary licenses.
State Prosecutor Yusif Isaac Sesay called on the prosecution’s fifth witness, Inspector Mohamed Jusu, a data analyst from the Criminal Investigation Department’s Cyber Lab Unit. Inspector Jusu testified that on April 10, 2024, he received a flash drive and a corresponding document from Inspector F.J. Moosa. The flash drive contained a video that Jusu analyzed using Amped 5, a specialized software tool designed to detect tampering. Jusu confirmed that the video had not been tampered with.
During his analysis, Inspector Jusu played the video to the accused and recorded his responses. The video showed Jaffal wearing a white shirt and black shorts, holding a pistol. Jusu captured several snapshots from the video to compare with images of Jaffal taken at the police station. His observations, along with those of his colleague Sergeant Foday Lebbie, were compiled into a report dated April 12, 2024. This report, along with the flash drive, was presented in court as evidence, marked as exhibits L1-4 and M respectively.
The video, played in court, corroborated the prosecution’s claim, showing Jaffal in possession of the pistol. Defense counsel Tuma Jabbie requested a short adjournment to cross-examine Inspector Jusu.
Magistrate Bangura granted the request and adjourned the case to June 14, 2024. The bail for Jaffal was extended until the next hearing.
