By: Audrey Raymonda John
The accused Osman Tarawalie, Mohammed Bai Kamara, Ibrahim Koroma and a juvenile on Tuesday 1st August, 2023 sent to the High Court by Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Ross Road Court No.1 in a robbery matter.
Before committal, the witness Sergeant 8576 Issa Kamara attached to the exhibit office CID Headquarter recognized the accused in the dock and recalled 30 March 2023.
Sergeant Kamara said his role as an exhibit officer is to ensure registration and safe keeping of court exhibit brought to their office and present them in court when needed.
He said on that day, he was on duty when D.P.C 15213 Bangura U.M attached to the breaking and larceny office handed over to him five hundred and two thousand dollars ($502), one gold color risk watch, one stainless black handle knife, one old Samsung mobile phone, one Sierra Leone driver license and black pause bag.
He furthered that the items were register in the court register book against serial number 85/2023 and has been in his custody which he will like to tender in court.
The said items were tender in court as exhibit M1-7 to form part of the prosecution case.
The witness was cross examined by defense Counsel A.R Bah on behalf of the accused.
The State prosecutor made an application pursuant to section 59(1) of the Criminal Procedure Act no.32 of 1965 for exhibit M1-7 to be return to the complainant and be substituted to exhibit B1-3 which is pictures of exhibit M1-7.
The application was turned down by the Magistrate Ngegba stating that he did not know the complainant in the matter and cannot release such exhibit.
After the said application, Magistrate Ngegba said he has looked at the evidence before him and he is satisfy that the prosecution has led sufficient evidence in court against the accused and therefore commit the matter at the high Court for further trial without bail.
The accused were arraigned before the court on eight count charges ranging from conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery with aggravation, assault and wounding with intent all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused on Tuesday 7 March, 2023 in Freetown, conspired together to commit a felony to wit robbery with aggravation.
The charge sheet further that the accused on the same day been armed with cutlasses and knives robbed Cecilia Coker one license valued two hundred and fifty Leones (NLe250), fiscal cash of five hundred and fifty Leones (NLe 550), one inhaler valued thirty Leones (NLe 30,00), one Samsung A9 mobile phone valued at nine thousand, two hundred seventy Leones (NLe 9,270) and other valuable items totaling thirty-eight thousand, three hundred and sixty-two Leones (NLe 38,366,00) property of Cecilia Coker.
The charge sheet also stated that the accused assaulted and wounded the complainant Cecilia Coker in a manner occasioning her actual bodily harm.