By Emma Black

Brothers William George Stone and Ola George Stone stood before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at Pademba Road Court No. 1 on Tuesday, charged with burglary and larceny under Sections 25(1) and 13(a) of the Larceny Act 1916. The sibling duo is accused of ransacking a home and making off with a trove of valuables.

Prosecutors allege that on March 12, 2025, at Isaac Renner Drive, First Bridge, Gloucester Village in Freetown’s Mountain Rural Area, the Stones broke into Cecilia Korji’s dwelling with theft in mind. Their loot: a DSTV decoder, a large suitcase, a travel iron, a small suitcase, a Sierra Leone passport, a gold wristwatch, and assorted items totaling 16,610 Leones, all belonging to Korji.

The charges echoed through the courtroom, but the brothers held their pleas in silence—no response entered. Their counsel, M.K. Donda Esq., stepped up with a bail request, arguing for their release pending trial.

Magistrate Kekura weighed the plea and granted bail to both, setting it at 50,000 Leones each or one surety per brother matching that sum. Conditions were firm: sureties must reside in Freetown and present a national ID with a verifiable address, subject to the Deputy Assistant Registrar’s approval. With bail secured, the case adjourned to April 9, 2025.

From a quiet rural break-in to a courtroom standoff, the Stones’ alleged spree paints a tale of greed or desperation, for Cecilia Korji, it’s a home violated and treasures lost; for the brothers, a reckoning awaits. Were they partners in crime or caught in a misunderstanding? The gavel will tell.