By: Audrey Raymonda John
Driver Nicolas Johnson has been sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment by Magistrate Mary Julie Gbloh of Pademba Road Court No. 5 in Freetown after pleading guilty to a charge of larceny, contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the particulars of the offence, Johnson, on 20 May 2026, at No. 23 Main Motor Road, Congo Cross, Freetown, in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, stole one 5,000-watt diesel generator valued at Le74,000, belonging to Ernestina Naomi Kai Abbey.
The court heard that the generator was unlawfully taken from the complainant’s premises without her consent. Following investigations, the accused was arrested and subsequently charged before the court.
During the hearing, Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge. Following his plea, the prosecution outlined the facts of the case, which were admitted by the accused. The court thereafter found him guilty as charged.
In delivering her judgment, Magistrate Mary Julie Gbloh stated that, having carefully considered the facts presented before the court and the voluntary guilty plea entered by the defendant, she was satisfied that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The magistrate noted that the defendant’s actions, which involved unlawfully taking the complainant’s valuable property, demonstrated a clear intention to permanently deprive the owner of her lawful possession. She emphasized that acts of dishonesty and theft contribute to insecurity within communities and must be strongly discouraged through the enforcement of the law.
Magistrate Gbloh further observed that theft-related offences continue to negatively affect individuals and businesses across Sierra Leone. She stressed that courts have a responsibility to impose sentences that serve both punitive and deterrent purposes.
She concluded that the defendant’s conduct was deliberate, unlawful, and unjustified, and therefore warranted a custodial sentence.
Consequently, the court sentenced Nicolas Johnson to forty (40) months’ imprisonment.
The court also ordered that Exhibit C1, a green 5,000-watt diesel generator recovered during the investigation, be returned to its rightful owner, Ernestina Naomi Kai Abbey, as part of the court’s restitution order.