November 5, 2021
By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
32-years-old Philip Daramy and Ibrahim Sesay, who pleaded guilty to the offence of manslaughter, has been sentenced to ten (10) years each imprisonment at the Freetown Male Correctional Centre.
According to the State Prosecutor, Elizabeth .T. Jalloh, the accused on the 1st January 2015, at Kroo Bay community, Western Area, unlawfully killed one Anthony Gray.
The convicts were standing trial before Justice Musu Kamara for the offence of murder contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
Addressing the court, the prosecution told the court that they had some constraints proceeding with the matter and on Thursday 28th September 2021, the State counsel applied for the murder charge to be reduced to manslaughter for speedy and fair trial in the interest of justice for both prosecution and defense.
The prosecution cited Section 148 Subsection (1) of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965 Act No 32 of 1965, stating that no injustice will be caused to the accused.
Justice Kamara granted the application made by the State lawyer, Elizabeth Jalloh, and discharged the jury.
After the word murder charge was replaced with manslaughter, Justice Kamara asked the clerk to read the charge again to the accused persons, Philip Daramy Ibrahim Sesay, and Sheka Sesay who pleaded guilty.
According to the prosecutor he told the court that the decease and the two accused persons were watching football match at the Kroo Bay Community when an argument started among them, he said the decease Gray met the 2nd accused and the fighting continued.
She said while they were fighting at the 1st accused had a bottle in his hand which he used to stab the decease while the 2nd accused was being rushed to the hospital.
She said the decease after he was stab by the 1st accused he tried to run toward Connaught hospital both he could not reach but later dropped at Sander Street somewhere in Freetown. She said he was later taken to the hospital were the 2nd accused stabbed the decease were both of them were lying, few days later the decease pass away.
The convicts in their plea of mitigation reiterated that they never intended to kill the deceased, and that their actions were not intentional.
Justice Kamara noted that the ten years imprisonment each for both of the accused persons, and they should be inclusive of the time they had spent on remand- since 1st January 2015.