By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
Testifying in court before Justice Cosmotina Jarrett, sexual penetration victims testified in court that the accused Abu Bakarr Gbla pulled out a knife on them after engaging with them in a sexual penetration intercourse in an uncompleted building, threatening them not to disclose the incident to anyone and making themselves readily available to satisfy his sexual urge as desired by him.
The accused person was standing trial before Justice Cosmotina Jarrett on three counts of sexual penetration involving three victims on diverse dates.
State Prosecutor R.A.S Edwards made an application for amendment of the indictment dates, from the year 1st January 2018-31st December 2018 changed to 1st January 2019-31st December 2019, application was granted by Justice Cosmotina Jarrett.
Second Prosecution witness a minor was inquired of the identification of the accused person, whom she replied to as her neighbor who owned a tricycle that he used in transporting them to and from school to their homes.
She narrated her ordeal in court with the accused person that the accused regularly transports them to a school and back home, adding that he would take them to an uncompleted building along with her sister and a friend and would have sexual intercourse with them.
She said this has happened many times, and was threatened by the accused with a knife of them not disclosing the incident to anyone will get them killed.
In a cross examination with defense Counsel for the accused person Hassan D. Timbo inquired of the witness of the allegation against the accused person and her return home after the incident.
She responded that the allegation against the accused person is true and she walked home with her sister and her friend who she said were also victims of the accused person.
She went on that when she returned home and urinated she explained that she saw blood oozing from her vagina and she felt pain.
Speaking further that at the time of the incident in 2019 she was 9 years of age. She said the accused usually when taking them home, would divert with them to an uncompleted building with no doors, nor windows, where he would have sexual intercourse with them, and give them the sum of 3 Leones.
She narrated that the first time, he had sexual intercourse with them the accused took them to the building, bought them local food ( yebeh) and order them to go inside of the room, where he would also according to the victim order them to strip naked, and threw them on the bed, used his fingers and inserted it into her vagina before using his dick.
She said the accused did this to all three of them, and in doing so she said she saw white fluid coming out her vagina when the accused used his dick.
She said this kept on happening and they were frightened to say anything to anyone till she decided to confide the incident to her cousin who told her father about it.
She said there was a time, they would have been caught by the woman sells food to them but the accused heard the footsteps of the woman and hurriedly dressed up and asked them to do so and left the room with his mobile phone and went outside.
She continued that both her father and the accused person were not on speaking terms, she also narrated that she lost her mother in 2018 and lived with a friend of her mom named Kadiatu Bangura whom she said also died in 2019.
She said she told her father about the incident and was taken to the Kissy police station where she said she made statements and was given a medical form to be treated at the Rainbow center, returned again with the endorsed medical paper.
Third prosecution witness a student in JSS2 and a minor testified of the incident in court, whereby she stated that the accused person is a tenant of their house whom they refer to as uncle daddy.
She said the accused gave them money and also to their mothers, she also concluded on the testimony of the first Prosecution Witness that he transports them to and from school to their homes, but branches of at an ataya base where she said he had sexual intercourse with them.
She said the accused orders them to strip naked and threw them on the bed, removed his own clothing and inserts his dick inside of them one after the other in an upward and downward movement she narrates.
She concluded that the accused would then give them 3 Leones each and pulled out a knife on them, threatening them not to disclose the incident to anyone.
She said she also made statements at the Kissy police station.
The matter has been adjourned for further hearing.
