By:Audrey Raymonda John
Detective Police Constable 15128 Lahai Stevens has on Wednesday 1st November 2023, testified on the alleged murder of Ibrahim Jagitay involving his cousin Mohamed Jagitay.
The accused Mohamed Jagitay is standing trial before Magistrate Mark Ngegba of court No1 on one count of murder contrary to law.
According to the police file, the accused on Friday 28th July 2023, at Kellie Farm Malambay village Waterloo, in the Waterloo Judicial district in the Western rural murdered Ibrahim Jagitay.
Fourth Prosecution witness (PW4) DPC 15128 Stevens Led in evidence by Inspector Sellu TAP said he is attached to the CID Waterloo police station as an investigator.
He recognized the accused and the deceased in the matter.
He recalled on 28th July 2022, adding he was on duty at Waterloo police station when one Ibrahim Kargbo a stakeholder of Malambay community arrived in the station and informed the police that they have discovered an unidentified corpse lying at Kellie Farm Malambay off Joe town Waterloo.
He said upon receipt of that information, himself the scene of crime officer (SOCO) officer and the crime officer left the station for the crime scene.
The witness said upon their arrival they discovered an unidentified corpse with multiple stab wounds on the neck, chest and the stomach.
At the scene of crime, he said they discovered a kitchen knife with black handle lying separately and also an empty white Air pod lying beside the corpse.
The SOCO officer he said took photos of the corps and the exhibit that were at the scene.
”We took the corps to the station and the SOCO officer published the photos on social media for identification”, he said
The corpse was then conveyed to the Connaught hospital for identification and postmortem examination.
On the same date, the witness said statements were obtained from Ibrahim Kargbo and one witness separately.
On the 29th July 2023, he said whiles on duty, he received a case and enquiry file of a missing person from the Calaba Town police station, adding that the said file contained statement of the complainant, witnesses and voluntary caution statement of the accused in respect of the missing corps.
The voluntary caution statement of the accused was produced and tendered in court as exhibit A 1-19.
On the 2nd August 2023, the witness said himself, the soco officer together with some relatives who identify the deceased as a family member witnessed the postmortem examination conducted on the remains of the deceased by the government pathologist Dr Simeon Owizz Koroma.
The scene of crime officer said they took photos of the postmortem examination, adding that at the end a certificate of the cause of death was handed over to the police for further investigation.
The developed photos of the remains of the deceased were produced for identification.
The witness said on the 3rd August 2023, himself together with DPC 13174 Kargbo M N obtained contemporaneous interview statement from the accused in respect of the alleged murder.
The said statement was produced and tendered and mark as exhibit B1-16.
On the 12th August 2023, he said further interview statement was obtained from the accused.
”I was later order to transfer the case and enquiry file together with the accused at the Criminal Investigation Department HQ Pademba road Freetown for further investigation”, the witness concludes.
The defense counsel Muctarr Rashid Esq requested for an adjournment to cross examined the witness.
His application was granted by Magistrate Ngegba and the matter was adjourned to the 8th November 2023 whiles the accused was remanded in prison.