May 24, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
First Police Witness (PW1) and Plaintiff, Mohamed Wurie Sow is testifying in a matter as a business man who is doing cattle rearing in the Kambia district. The plaintiff and the defendants appeared for the first time before Magistrate Sahr Keikura of Court No 1 in Freetown on the 20th May, 2021.The matter was heard at the Pademba Court involving three suspects Lamin Kargbo, Alhassan Turay and Soko Samura.
The three suspects were charged for larceny of cattle contrary to the Larceny Act of 1916 and killing of cattle contrary to section 40 of the malicious Damage Act1861.
According to the police charge sheets, the accused persons are charged with two counts of larceny of cattle and killing of cattle. It’s alleged in count one that the accused persons on the 11th January, 2021 at Kasigiri village worreh, in Tonko Limba chiefdom in the Kambia district North West Region of Sierra Leone, stole eighteen (18) live cows each valued at four million five hundred thousand Leones (Le4,500,000/00) and nine (9) live bulls each valued six million five hundred thousand (Le6,500,000/00) , all to the total valued of one hundred and thirty nine million, five hundred thousand Leone (Le139,500,000/00) property of Mohamed Wurie Sow.
In counts two, the accused persons on the 11th January, 2021 at Kasigint village worreh, in Tonko Limba chiefdom in the Kambia district North West Region of Sierra Leone maliciously killed twenty seven cows property of Mohamed Wurie Sow.
Testifying in court the witness Mohamed Wurie Sow said he recognized the three accused persons in this case for his cattle’s. Mr Sow said, he recalled on the 11th January, 2021 when he was informed by his workers in his worreh in Kasigiri village in Tonko Limba chiefdom Kambia that twenty seven cows have been killed by the accused persons as they have threatened to kill all his remaining cows. He said the accused persons poisoned the twenty seven cows and it was verified by the veterinary officer. He said he went at the scene to see for himself.
Under cross examination, defense Lawyer W.C. Elloba asked the witness how much cows he owned at the worreh.In his response, the witness said over four hundred cows. Defense Lawyer asks the witness if he knows whether his cows were sick. The witness said yes though he is not a veterinary officer but when his cows are sick he normally detects it. Defense Lawyer continued to ask the witness how long he has been rearing cows? Witness said nearly fourty years. The Defense asks if he has veterinary officer? He said yes.
The Defense further asked what is the distance from the veterinary officer house to the worreh? He said fifty miles. Lawyer Elloba asked the witness if he sees the accused persons poison the cows? The witness said no but they have threatened to poison the cows before.
Lawyer Elloba renewed his application for bail but bail was not granted for all three accused persons and they were sent to the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown. The State prosecutor prosecuting the matter is Inspector I.S. Mansaray while Lawyer W.C. Elloba represented all the three accused persons. The matter has been adjourned to the 24th May, 2021.