By Emma Black

Alhaji Sawaneh, a 23-year-old fisherman, was sentenced to ten years in prison on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, after pleading guilty to sexually penetrating a four-year-old child. The ruling came during a criminal session at Sexual Offences Court No. 7 on Siaka Stevens Street, presided over by Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens, marking a stern stand against crimes targeting Sierra Leones youngest.

Sawaneh faced a single charge under Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2012, as amended by Section 4(a)(ii) of the 2019 Amendment Act. Prosecutors alleged that on July 19, 2023, in Freetown, he committed an act of sexual penetration against a child under 18 a crime that stunned the courtroom when details emerged of the victim’s tender age.

Unrepresented by counsel, Sawaneh stood alone as the charge was read. He admitted guilt and, voice trembling, begged for mercy. I ask the court to temper justice, he pleaded, offering no defense beyond remorse.

Justice Stevens didn’t mimic his words. This is wickedness, he declared, his tone heavy with dismay, a four-year-old someone you should nurture, advise, protect violated instead, he weighed Sawaneh’s youth and swift plea, noting it spared the court a lengthy trial, yet mercy had limits, you’re young learn skills in prison, change your path, Stevens advised, adding a pointed warning, when you are out, stay far from this victim.

With that, he handed down a decade-long sentence, sending Sawaneh to Freetown’s male correctional facility—a punishment blending retribution with a chance at reform.

The case underscores Sierra Leones sharpened laws on sexual offenses, tightened in 2019 to shield minors. For a community reeling from such betrayal, Stevens ruling sends a dual message: predators face steep consequences, and justice aims to heal as it corrects, as Sawaneh begins his term, the courtroom s silence spoke volumes a Childs trauma acknowledged, a line drawn firm.