June 8, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
Third Police Witness (PW3) A. Conteh who is attached at the Exhibit office of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has tendered exhibits before the Justice Sulaiman Bah at the High Court in Freetown on the 7th June, 2021 at the Law Court Building Siaka Stevens Street Freetown. N’tuma Mansaray (Nee Bangura) was arraigned in court on one count of murder contrary to the Laws of Sierra Leone.
According to the case file, the accused person on the 30th March, 2020 at Murray Town Barracks Freetown unlawfully murdered Mahmoud Mansaray who was a military officer of 29 years of age, murdered by his wife N’tuma Mansaray.
The proceedings are ongoing with a twelve men jury of the High Court who would eventually come up with a guilty or not guilty verdict that would further inform the decision of the judge in arriving at a final judgment.
Testifying in court, the witness (Conteh) said he was on duty when they handed to him some exhibits and he records them and the exhibits were in the custody of the police until he was requested by the court to tender them. Witness said the items he received as exhibit officer are one Hawaii phone that belonged to the accused person, one Techno KA Spark phone belonging to the deceased (Mahmoud Mansaray), one memory stick, knife, orange cloth, mosquito white tent.
During cross examination of the witness, defense Lawyer I.P Mammy asked the witness if he is a lab scientist. The witness said no. Lawyer Mammy, asked his if he visit the scene of crime. The witness said no. The Defense Lawyer asked if he received any forensic examination before the investigation. He said no.
Lawyer Mammy further asked when these items were handed to you.
The prosecution witness said the items were handed to him on the 8th April, 2020. Defense counsel asked him before you tendered the items at the Magistrate Court
Defense counsel asked him that you are not qualified to say this is it blood. The witness said that even if he is not qualified but he can differentiate between blood and any other thing. Defense counsel asked the witness if he can tell the difference between human blood and a blood of a chicken. The witness said he cannot identify between human blood and chicken blood. Defense counsel asked the witness if he can tell the difference of human blood checkup. The Witness said blood checkup has a color of slight red. Defense counsel asked the witness to hold the knife and he was asked if he can tell the finger print or not on the knife. Witness said he can’t.
When fourth Police Witness (PW4) detective Police Constable A. Sesay 1588 attached to the Cyber Crime Unit at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters Freetown testified.
He said he was on duty with his colleagues when Inspector BA Munu who was the head of Homicide handed to us two mobile phones for us to check those phones and performed some analysis on them in respect of case of murder. The names of the phones were Techno and Huawei. Witness continued to say that their mode of operations was to connect these phones to the computer in the Cyber lab for them to ascertain further information between the deceased and the accused person as one of the phones was having password and they cannot have access to it. He said they check the phone of the accused person and they collected the information such as whatsaap, audio, text messages and they transferred them into a memory stick. The witness said after they have deduced their findings they handed it to Mr. Munu the line manager of the Homicide. He said the report was dated on the 12th July, 2020 and was signed by myself and Sergeant F. Lebbie 6890.He continued that both of them (the accused person and deceased was having a conversation about a particular man in Makeni.
The witness was about to display the audio conversation for the judge and jury to listen but because that was not on the agenda of the court, the matter was adjourned to the 9th June, 2021.