June 24, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
Police Witness Bockarie Conteh a pupil of Albert Academy Secondary School testified before Justice Manuella Harding in the Modern Sexual Penetration Court in Freetown has on the 22nd June, 2021. It would recall that on the 19th September, 2020, the accused person allegedly sexually penetrated the victim at Kamayama, Lumley Freetown.
The witness said he knew the victim and accused person to Madam Bintu Hancile as she is the one who was taking care of them. He said he can recall on the 19th September, 2020. Witness said on that day Madam Bintu Hancil was having strangers and they were having meeting and he left the house. He said he returned home in the evening and one of his brothers called and told him that he saw blood. Witness said he immediately went to the scene in front of the house and saw blood stains around. He said they saw the victim in the kitchen bleeding, while she refused to tell us what was wrong with her.
He said they reported the matter to Madam Hancil and told her that they saw the victim in the kitchen bleeding and we have asked what happened she don’t talk to us. Madam Hancil told them to take her to the police station maybe she will talk to us. The witness said they (the victim, Alimamy Kanu and Bockarie) accompany her to the Lumley Police Station Family Support Unit. He said statement was made at the police station and police request medical form was issued to him on behalf of the victim.
The witness Madam Hancil gave an instruction that nobody should leave the house, because the next police officers will come to investigate on the issue. Eventually, the officers came but the accused person was not at home as he had told them that he went to waterloo. While he was called the second time, according to the witness he said he went to Makeni and switched off his phone, and the other suspected accused said his dad sent him on an errant.
Witness said after some days the accused later called him and said he is in Bumbuna and enquire about the case. His replied was that the case is with the police. He said he recorded the conversation between him and the accused person and later sent the recording to Madam Hancil’s phone.
Under cross examination, defense counsel R.S Bangura asked for the telephone number of the accused person that he called the witness with. Witness said he called with a strange number. Defense counsel asked if he can tell the court the date the accused person called him. Witness said he cannot recall. Defense counsel asked him that he returned home at seven in the evening; because the place was already dark you did not see the blood. Witness said I saw the blood clearly and we even took snapshots of it.
Defense counsel asked the witness that on the day in question; the witness and the accused person do not see each other. Witness said he did not see the accused person in the morning on the 19th September, 2020. Defense counsel asked him that on that day in question the witness and the alleged victim did not see each other. I saw her before I left the house as she was seating on the stairs.
However, Hassan Sesay police personnel attached to the Family Support Unit Lumley Police Station has testified in an alleged rape case. He said he was on duty on the 19th September, 2020 when a victim was accompanied by her brother and the victim was bleeding. He said the victim said if he saw the perpetrator she can be able to identify him. He said because the victim was bleeding that was the reason why he issued a police request medical form to them. He said he made a follow-up on the 20the September, 2020 to know the health status of the victim at the Cottage. He said he discovered that the victim was in an intensive care. He said he made another follow-up for six consecutive days to get a statement from the victim and she was later referred to the Rainbow Centre. He said during the victim medical checkup at the police medical hospital that was the time the victim named the accuse person.
He said he one of the social worker attached to the Lumley Police Station interviewed the victim. And on the 7th October, 2020 they went to the accused person house to arrest him but the wife told them that her husband had gone to work. On the 9th October, 2020 they returned to the same house but could not find him.
He said the relatives of the victim called them that they had arrested the accused person in Bumbuna and he was later handed to the Bumbuna Police for custody. He said on the 24th November, 2020 he went to Bumbuna to bring the accused person to the Lumley Police Station. He said the victim identified the accused person to have sexually penetrated her.
He said they visited the scene of crime where the accused person alleged penetrated the victim.
Under cross examination, defense counsel R.S Bangura asked the witness if he can tell the date he visited the scene of crime. Witness said he cannot remember. Defense counsel asked witness if he was been trained in the Sierra Leone Police Force as scene of crime officer. Witness said no.
Defense counsel asked witness if he did not issue any police request medical form to the victim. Witness said he issued police medical request form. Defense counsel asked witness if he did any other thing. Witness said he advise them to visit the Rainbow Centre.
The State Counsel Robin Mason Jr. while Lawyer R.S Bangura representing the accused person. The matter has been adjourned to the 6th July, 2021. iv)�>�7�