February 23, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
Simity Turay, daughter of Salifu Turay has testified before Justice Musu Damba Kamara of the Freetown High court on 22nd February stating she recognized the accused person Mohamed Kanu who is a Police officer attached at the OSD Division.
During cross examination, Lawyer E.D. Kargbo ESQ defending the accused person, questioned the witness whether she was informed of her father’s death on the day of the incident.
In response the witness answered in the affirmative and further stated that her late dad informed her before he left the house for Gloucester to sell a piece of land.
The witness continued that she recalled the name of the man her late dad went to see for the land deal by the name of Mr. Kallon, military personnel. Witness Simity Turay said she was on her way to work when a call came in to inform her of her father’s demise.
On the same day, third Police Witness Sergeant 10945 Kargbo J.M. attached to the Lumley Police Division Freetown formally of the Mountain Division Headquarter testified that she recalled on the 1 March, 2015, as she was on duty when the Crime Officer Detective ASP Kalokoh Yamba instructed her to obtain statement from the accused person Mohamed Kanu.
She said herself and Sargent 7762 Marvie F. contemporaneously interviewed the accused person. The accused person was cautioned and questioned in Krio and recorded in English. At the conclusion of the statement, Detective 1772 read it to the accused person and explained it in Krio. Before she concluded, the lawyer for the accused asked for his client to see if it is signature. His client admitted to be true and correct by singing with his own thump print. She tendered the document for the court to see. It is marked G1-21.
PW 3 continued that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters in Freetown requested for the file to be sent for further investigation.
During cross examination by E.D Kargbo Esq. the witness was asked if the accused person told them he was going to be interviewed by his bosses. She answered that she was transferred to the Lumley Police division.
The witness responded that she had been transferred so she could not the type of weapon that was used in the alleged murder.
Also another Police witness Detective Sergeant 8709 Kamara I.S. who is attached to the special Investigation Bureau at the Criminal Investigation Department Pademba Road in Freetown, testified that he recognized the accused person in the dock.
He continued that on the 21st March, 2015 he was on duty when a case of murder was transferred from Mountain Division to the CID Headquarters for further investigation. In the file were Euro raffle with serial number 261195/96, one magazine containing twenty live rounds ammunition, one empty ammunition shell, one foot wear, with specimen suspected to be human blood, one Samsung mobile phone, one motor bike and the accused person.
On 26th March, 2015 PW 1 and 1513 Kabba witness the postmortem examination of the diseases at the Connaught mortuary Hospital in Freetown which was conducted by the government pathologist consultant Dr. Simon Owiss Koroma.
And on 24th April, 2015, they interviewed the accused person, where 1513 Kabba cautioned and questioned him in Krio which he recorded in English.
Matter has been adjourned to 10th March, 2021.