By Mohamed Mansaray
Magistrate Wilbri Hamida M. John of Kenema magistrate court No. 2 has committed three accused persons Lahai Amara Bockarie alias “Papa Lahai, Vandy Songo, and Momoh James alias Kanabie to stand trial at the high court in Kenema on charges of murder, contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The accused were brought before the magistrate court on four counts, including conspiracy to commit murder and murder, in violation of Section 1 of the offences against the person Act of 1861, as repealed and replaced by section 1(a) of the schedule of the abolition of the death Penalty Act of 2022.
According to court records, on January 16, 2025, in Bandajuma Kpolihun village, Njaluahun chiefdom, Kailahun district, eastern province, the accused conspired with unknown individuals to commit murder, on that same date and location, they allegedly murdered a three-year-old boy, Abu Sidie Janneh.
During the preliminary hearings, four prosecution witnesses testified under oath, using both the Holy Bible and the Quran. Among them was detective sergeant Michael Amadu of the criminal investigation department (CID), Daru Police Station. In his testimony, Sgt. Amadu recounted that on January 19, 2025, crime officer detective Kamara J.B. announced that the missing child had been found and instructed officers to visit the crime scene.
Sgt. Amadu said he, along with DPC 19887 Konneh M. and local authorities, went to the house where the child had gone missing, I immediately took photographs of the location where the boy was found lying, he stated, he further revealed that the distance from a local rice mill to where the body was discovered measured 336 feet and 3 inches, and the depth from the stream to the locally constructed bridge measured 1 foot and 3 inches, the body had multiple wounds and was transported to the Kenema government hospital for a postmortem examination.
I photographed the body during the examination, Amadu told the court. He added that after the postmortem, the body was released to him, and he handed it over to DPC Konneh M., who then gave it to the deceased’s parents for burial, the detective also stated that he and a team of police officers searched the residence of Momoh James alias Kanabie, where they discovered a cutlass hidden under a mattress, he documented the discovery with photographs, which were later submitted to the investigating officer.
During cross-examination, the following questions were posed, do you wish to tender all the photos in court, inspector Aiah Mafinda Teh, Prosecutor said yes, Michael Amadu, Prosecution the Witness 3 was asked where have the photographs been stored, he said at the police station.
The Defense Counsel Joseph Bandabla Dauda Jnr. JBD asked what is the approximate distance from the village to the scene where the body was found ad he said two inches, an unclear and questionable response, possibly a misunderstanding, did you obtain any fingerprints from the scene of the crime, Lawyer JBD, he said No, did you collect any blood samples from the cutlass, he said No,
In her ruling, Magistrate Wilbri Hamida M. John stated that, after reviewing the prosecution’s evidence in its entirety, the court found that sufficient evidence had been presented to warrant a trial at the High Court. She therefore committed all three accused to stand trial for the alleged murder of Abu Sidie Janneh.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Monday, May 26TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
