By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
Abdul Mansaray made another appearance before Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens of the Modern Sexual Offences Court no.7 in Freetown on one count charge of sexual penetration with a child.
State Prosecutor JB Kamara made an application for a trial by a judge alone; application was granted by Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens.
Narrating the incident in court, First Prosecution Witness victim aged 14yrs spoke of her relationship with the accused person being a friend to his uncle and that the accused threatened to kill her if she mentioned what transpired between them.
She said on the 26th November 2021, she was getting prepared for school when she asked her mother Aminata Sankoh for her lunch money and her mother referred her to the accused person who she said were residents of the same Compound but different apartments.
She went on that, she got to the apartment of the accused person, met the accused person and told him what the mother said, but that the accused replied her that she would not be attending school that day.
On this she said the accused closed the door, grabbed her and removed her uniform and stripped her panties off and inserted his dick inside her vagina and had sex with her.
She said she felt pain when the accused did this to her and fell asleep immediately after this. She continued that the accused went out and after a while upon his return, woke her up and asked her to go leave.
The victim said she informed no one about the incident. Upon getting to the house she said, she encountered her Aunt who inquired of her whereabouts and told her that she was back from school.
Furthermore to this she said her Aunt told her that she was not truthful and that she never went to school that day.
Therefore she said, her Aunt called out her elder brother to threaten her of her whereabouts and took her to her friend’s house whom she said they both attend the same school together and for her Aunt to confirm that she was in school.
With this she said on getting there, her friend was not at home, but in school.
She said the accused heard this and followed them to the friend’s house and threatened to kill her if she mentions what happened between them.
She concluded that she confessed what happened, and the matter was reported at the east end police station and was referred to a hospital for treatment and check-up.
Defense Counsel A. Kargbo during his cross examination inquired of the witness duration of her relationship with the accused to which the witness replied that she had known the accused for a year now and that the accused apartment was closer to his mom’s apartment.
I conclusion to his cross examination inquired of the witness of her relationship with her mother when the incident occurred and why she was unable to directly confide in her mother, the witness also replied to this that she was scared at the time.
The matter has been adjourned to the 30th September 2022 for further hearing, accused in remand.