By: Audrey Raymonda John
A 24-year-old unemployed woman, Kadija Kamara, has been released by Justice Bawoh of High Court No. 2 in Freetown after serving 11 months in custody for office breaking and larceny.
The defendant appeared in court on a single count of office breaking with intent, contrary to Section 27(2) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the particulars of the offence, on 21 April 2025, Kadija Kamara allegedly broke into the office of Alfisher Investment Company in Freetown with the intent to commit a felony. She was accused of attempting to steal two canned drinks valued at 60 Leones and one foil food item valued at 100 Leones, totalling 160 Leones (Le160), property of the company.
Her counsel, Yanshim Esq., informed the court that Kadija Kamara had pleaded guilty to the offence. In his plea mitigation, he emphasized that her guilty plea was a sign of remorse, not an attempt to waste the court’s time. He further noted that the defendant is a single mother with a two-year-old child, a first-time offender with no prior criminal record, and had already spent over 11 months in custody. Counsel requested that the court consider this time served as sufficient punishment, noting that she had learned her lesson.
In her address to the court, Kadija Kamara pleaded for mercy, promising never to commit such an offence again. She explained that her boyfriend had invited her to the location, ordered the food items, and left her to pay the bill. She stated that she had no money at the time and wished to reunite with her child.
In his ruling, Justice Bawoh advised her not to engage in similar offences in the future. Considering the nature of the offence and the time already served, he sentenced her to the time already spent in custody, effectively releasing her.
The case was prosecuted by R.B. Harleston and A.B.N. Taylor Kamara.