By Mohamed Mansaray in Kenema
Prison Court has, on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, commenced in Kenema with two hundred and twenty-nine (229) inmates.
Among the inmates two hundred and eleven (211) were male and eighteen were (18) female.
Justice Abubakarr Sannoh from Bo released Sixteen (16) inmates while two other inmates, one sentenced for wounding with intent and the other for manslaughter were allowed to continue their jail terms. All male inmates who were arraigned before the Hon. High Court Judge were released except those who whose jail terms were about to end or those whose sentences were below one year.
Earlier, addressing inmates at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre in Kenema, Hon. Justice Abubakarr Sannoh said that his target was not to set them free but to free those inmates who were sentenced beyond the mandates of the lower court (Magistrate Court), pointing out that their learned colleagues were liable to mistakes as, according to him, there is no perfections in humanity.
According to Justice Sannoh, the programme of Prison Court is organised by the Judiciary and the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) in collaboration with other organisations to decongest the Sierra Leone Correctional Centres, stressing that their concentration is the Magistrate Court but not the High Court. The learned man furthered that the commencement of the Prison Court was geared to serve justice to those inmates that were over sentenced by the Magistrate Court and were stranded at the correctional centres, among others.
Eleven (11) convicts who were apprehended by the Police at the car wash in Daru found with unlawful possession of Cannabis-sativa were released and among them, one, Ibrahim Sesay was sentenced by a magistrate to five (5) years imprisonment and the rest were sentenced to one-year (1 year) and Six (6) months each. Justice Sannoh quashed the sentences and released all 11 convicted inmates.
One Foday Rogers was released based on medical grounds though his conviction was reasonable. One Fatmata Sankoh with her daughter (a girl child) who were sentenced to six (6) months imprisonment by the Magistrate Court for obtaining money by false pretences was also released. Another, Jenneh Kanneh charged for wounding and sentenced to four years (4) imprisonment by the Magistrate Court saw her jail term reduce to three years (3). One Mariama Jerry, a school pupil who stole NLe 500/00 from her mother in Daru and sentenced to 1year and 2 months for Larceny was released after she had spent 5 months at the correctional Centre.
The Prison Court in Kenema comprises the State Counsel, Mathew. M.P. Lappia, Patrick Kamara of Legal Aid Board, the Regional Commander, Lamin Bangura, OC for male inmates, Mohamed Kargbo, Court Registrar, Thomas. B.C.Sam, Court Admin, Sheku Mansaray including AdvocAid Paralegal, Katumu Kamara and duty Counsel, Joseph Bandabla Dauda Esq. representing convicted female detainees, among others.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Monday, June 7th , 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
