March 12, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
Detective Police Officer, Samuel Alieu has testified before Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay on the 11th March, 2021 at the High Court in Freetown, in a case of robbery with aggravation and other related offenses. Four accused persons have been docked including one Alie Barrie.
The witness told the court that an identification parade was conducted for the complainant, Momoh Bangura to identify the said accused persons.
The state prosecutor, J.S. Tucker delved more into the reasons of the identification parade by asking the number of alleged criminal that were lined up. The witness answered thirteen of them.
The Prosecutor posed question as to how many times inspection parade was conducted. The witness replied saying three occasions.
The witness said in the first instance, he was able to pick out the four alleged accused persons, the second time they changed the location of the thirteen; this time their previous clothes were change and the complainant was able to identify the same four accused persons and the third rounds the same four accused persons were identified by the complainant.
The witness continued that they conducted search warrant for all four accused persons but nothing of police interest was found. The witness said on the 2nd and 5th July, 2019 Samuel Alieu (PW2) D. Sargent 12089, D. Sargent 10476 and D.PC. 14078 conducted a contemporaneous interview of all four accused persons separately. They were cautioned and questioned separately. This exercise was done in krio and was recorded in English, read and explained to all four accused persons separately. They admitted that statements were true and correct by affixing their right thumb finger print thereof.
The witness said on the 16th July, 2019 him D. Sargent 10476 and D. sergeant 12089 finally charged the four accused persons to court. He re-identified the endorsed police medical report, photographs of the injuries sustained by Momoh Bangura (complainant). He also re-identified the two stick with nails and cutlass which was identified as X for the cutlass and W 1 & 2 for sticks.
Under cross examination the Defense Lawyer Cecilia Tucker asked the witness whether he charged all four accuse person and whether they accepted that they committed the offence charged. The witness replied in affirmative.
On the other hand the Defense Lawyer pressed on by telling the witness that the first accuse was not part of the identification parade as he was in Calaba town. His response was that he cannot remember. Defense Lawyer for all accused persons asked whether the second accused person denied all the allegations. Witness said “yes my lord.”
Also, the Defense Lawyer asked if the investigation report was tendered in court by the witness. His response was that he did at the Magistrate Court.
However, the complainant, Momoh Bangura was reexamined for the second time by State Prosecutor, J.S. Tucker. He recalled his memory to confirm whether what he said in court previously that the first accused person used cutlass and stick with nails.
“If you see the items can you identify them?” PW1 said yes my lord.
Later, the Defense Lawyer asked for an adjourned date as she is not in possession with the file where she wrote questions concerning the PW1, the complainant. Matter was adjourned to 18th March.