By: Audrey Raymonda John
In a shocking development that has shaken public confidence in law enforcement, three Sierra Leone Police officers James Turner (35), Foday Samking (48), and Mohamed Saio Kamara (35) made their first court appearance on serious criminal charges, including robbery with aggravation, conspiracy, wounding, and assault.
Appearing before Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah at Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 1 in Freetown, the officers were charged with eight counts under the Larceny Act of 1916 and the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861.
According to police reports, the accused allegedly carried out the aggravated robbery between July 30 and August 2, 2025, at Fengray Street, Old Road, Rokel Village. They are said to have conspired with unknown individuals to rob Sahr Koroma and Hawa Komba on August 2, stealing Le 20,000, an iPhone Pro Max, a home phone, and two power banks, with a total value of Le 28,900.
The indictment further alleges the trio maliciously wounded and assaulted four individuals during the robbery. Notably, Mohamed Saio Kamara is accused of orchestrating the attack by instructing the others, including his co-accused, to execute the robbery.
A key witness, Detective Inspector Fashila Johnson, testified that all three accused were officers attached to the Ross Road Police Station. She told the court that she first became aware of their involvement after seeing a social media post linking one of the accused to the crime scene. According to her, the accused had reportedly left behind his police ID, national ID, and checkbook.
Johnson said she was contacted by CID Head Jalloh, who confirmed the officers’ alleged involvement. She testified that she had previously warned her superiors about the first and second accused, alleging they often engaged in unauthorized operations, disguising them as official police duties and extorting large sums of money from civilians.
She added that the first accused had confessed to the crime earlier this year and had been instructed to report to Lumley Police Station, before being transferred to the Mountain Division. Johnson was later asked to provide a formal statement to CID Headquarters.
During cross-examination, defense counsel C. Kamara pressed Johnson on the fact that she was not present at the crime scene, but she maintained that she had previously reported the accused’s misconduct to her superiors.
Following the testimony, Magistrate Braima Jah denied bail, and all three accused have been remanded in custody. The matter has been adjourned to September 4, 2025, for further hearing.