25 August 2018 :
29th November, 2017: the High Court of Sierra Leone presided over by Justice Monfred Momoh Sesay, sentenced two men to death by hanging, after convicting them on conspiracy and murder.
The Prosecution had alleged that Solomon Bondi and Hector Sesay on January 1, 2015, at No.9 Off Beckley Lane, Tengbeh Town, west of Freetown, conspired with unknown persons to commit a felony and murdered one Daniel Salieu Kamara, an Operational Support Division (OSD) officer of the Sierra Leone Police, who was guarding the residence of one Mohamed Abass.
Addressing members of the Jury, Justice Monfred Sesay said the duo was committed to the High Court on three count charges of conspiracy, robbery with aggravation and murder contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
He said to prove their case beyond all reasonable doubt, the prosecution led by Joseph A.K Sesay, presented ten witnesses, including the Government Consultant Pathologist Dr. Semion Owizz Koroma, who testified in the matter.
After going through the evidences of the prosecution witnesses and the statements of both convicts, Justice Sesay informed the jury that he was taking his time to read all the evidences and statements in order to be able to refresh their minds.
He reminded them that they are judges of fact and that they should be well informed about the case before handing down judgment.
He told the jurors that on count one -conspiracy, the prosecution had led in evidence one Julian Bangura who had told the court that he attended the same primary school with the second accused.
He said the witness further told the court that on the date of the incident, he overheard people shouting from the direction of the crime scene, adding that he came out of his house to ascertain as to what was going on ,but somebody threatened him that he should go back or he would be killed.
He said the witness further told the court that he returned and started looking through his window, where he later heard a gunshot in the compound of the complainant.
He told the court that the witness had testified that he later saw the second accused, together with two other people walking closer to his residence, with the one of them carrying a gun.
The judge furthered that the fourth prosecution witness, Patrick Tarawaly, had also testified that on the night of the incident, he overheard people shouting from the compound where the police officer was murdered.
He said the witness had told the court that he thought the said people were sharing some money, but noted that as he tried making his way into the compound, he heard a gunshot and hid himself somewhere to observe the situation.
The judge said the witness had told the court that he overheard one of the accused saying, “Super is not at home but his is at home.”
He added that the witness had told the court that the accused also directed the others to the room of one Amude, and that he overheard the deceased asking ‘you again?
The judge called on the jury to take note of the above testimonies of the third and fourth prosecution witnesses when giving their judgment in the matter, adding that they should pay keen attention to the statement of the first accused to the police for inconsistencies.
After hanging heads together, the jurors returned with a guilty verdict on conspiracy and murder and a not guilty verdict on robbery with aggravation.
The pronouncement was made by foreman, Mohamed Abu Bangura.
In his judgment on count one –conspiracy, Justice Sesay sentenced both convicts to ten years imprisonment and death by hanging on murder, while he acquitted them on robbery with aggravation.
