By Emma Black

George Browne, a fugitive from the November 26 failed coup, found himself back in the dock before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at Pademba Road Court No. 2, this time charged with wounding and assault. The accusation viciously stabbing Mohamed Alie Bah beneath his left eye in a dispute over stolen cash.

Browne, already a convicted felon serving time at Pademba Road Prison for knifing his uncle, now faces fresh charges stemming from an incident on March 14, 2025, at Kroo Town Road. The charge sheet alleges he maliciously wounded Bah and assaulted him, causing actual bodily harm crimes that echo his violent past.

In court, Bah, a businessman, recounted the saga. He knew Browne through his brother, Ibrahim Bah, who had entrusted Browne with 7,000 new Leones to deliver to someone. Browne vanished with the cash. On March 14, the brothers tracked him down on Adelaide Street, where Bah spotted him flaunting new gear: mobile phones worth 3,000 Leones, a watch, fresh clothes and the missing money.

I grabbed him from behind,” Bah testified. They hauled Browne toward the Adelaide Street Police Station, confiscating his loot as evidence of the swindle. But the next day, Browne showed up at Bah’s home, demanding his belongings back, go ask the police, Bah retorted. Browne’s response was chilling: a death threat.

Later, while Bah chatted with a friend, Abdulai, near a container, Browne struck plunging a knife into Bah’s lower eye. Blood gushed as Browne fled, only to be nabbed later and dragged to Central Police Station. Bah sought treatment at Connaught Hospital, returning with a medical report that bolstered his case.

Unrepresented, Browne cross-examined Bah himself, but details of his defense went unrecorded in the chaotic session. Magistrate Bangura, unmoved, remanded him to custody, setting the next hearing for April 15, 2025.

Browne’s latest clash with the law adds a dark chapter to his escape from prison during last year’s coup attempta breakout that briefly thrust him beyond bars, only to land him back in their grip. For Bah, the scar beneath his eye is a stark reminder of trust betrayed and violence unleashed.