By: Audrey Raymonda John
Twenty-two-year-old Sheku Marrah, a welder; twenty-six-year-old Rugiatu Bah, a petty trader; and twenty-three-year-old Musa Bah, a motorcycle rider, made their first appearance before Magistrate John Manso Fornah of Pademba Road Court No. 2 in Freetown, facing three charges related to theft, including larceny contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916, and two counts of receiving stolen goods, contrary to Section 33(1) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the particulars of the offence, on 20th September 2025, at Mamudu Town, Gloucester Village, in the Mountain Rural District, Western Area of Freetown, the first defendant (Sheku Marrah) allegedly stole six PVC pipes, half a ton of 12mm full-length iron rods, oil paint, and other assorted items valued at twenty-two thousand two hundred and ninety Leones (Le 22,290), the property of Claudia Sam.
Count two of the charges states that, on the same date and location, the second defendant (Rugiatu Bah) allegedly received two large rubber leather shield paints, valued at one thousand three hundred Leones (Le 1,300), knowing them to have been stolen.
Count three further alleges that, on the same date and location, the third defendant (Musa Bah) received half a ton of 12mm full-length iron rods, valued at seven thousand Leones (Le 7,000), also knowing them to have been stolen.
When the charges were read and explained to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty.
Sergeant 8811 Florence M. Wilson presented the prosecution’s first witness, Chidima Sam, a student at FBC. Chidima testified that she knew the defendants as her neighbors and that on 20th September 2025, she was at home with her brother when something unusual occurred. She explained that contractors working on their property had requested building materials from her mother’s store, but when she went to retrieve them, she discovered that the items had been stolen. She further discovered that many materials were missing, and upon closer inspection, noticed footprints on the wall of the fence and that the roof of their house had been tampered with.
The following day, her mother called the police from Akon Police Station. The police came to their home, spoke with her mother, and took a statement from her. That evening, they discovered a ton of iron rods, five rubber paints, seven empty paint containers, a roll of tarpaulin, school bags, cole pots, and broken tiles were missing. Chidima said that she later saw the stolen iron rods at the defendants’ property, where they were being used for a construction project.
Chidima visited the home of the second defendant (Rugiatu Bah) and asked about the paint rubbers. Rugiatu claimed that someone had sold them to her and expressed willingness to return them. Chidima recorded the conversation with Rugiatu on her iPhone 14 Pro Max on 30th September 2025. The phone containing the recording was presented in court for identification. The prosecutor requested a short adjournment to tender the recording as evidence.
Defense counsel, F. Bayoh Esq., applied for bail on behalf of the defendants.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Fornah refused bail and remanded the defendants to the male correctional facility in Freetown. The matter was adjourned to 29th October 2025 for further proceedings.