By Ibrahim Kabba Turay
Justice Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens has sentenced 19-year-old Abu Bakarr Sannoh to 10 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexually penetrating a 13-year-old pupil.
Sannoh was before the court on two count indictments of sexual penetration contrary to Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act 2012, Act No. 12 of 2012, as repealed and replaced by Section 4 (a) (ii) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019, Act No. 8 of 2019.
State prosecutor, Jane B. Kamara, had alleged that the accused on January 29,2022 in Freetown, in the Western Area, engaged in an act of sexual penetration with a child.
State prosecutor J.B Kamara made an application upon the accused arraignment for him to be tried by a judge alone, instead of a judge and a jury and Justice Momoh Jah Stevens granted the said application.
The convict denied the allegation upon his arraignment and the State Prosecutor led in evidence a number of witnesses including the victim in support of his case.
In her evidence, prosecution witness, Susan Dumbuya, who happens to be the mother of the victim, testified in court.
She identified herself as a house wife and that she recognised the accused through one of her tenants, who brought him to the house.
She recalled that on the 29th January 2022, she fell ill and decided to stay home when her husband who is a military officer of high ranking, opted to prepare food for her due to her health.
She continued that she took her husband’s phone and went through the content of the phone to know her daughter’s activity because her daughter normally uses her dad’s phone to do her assignment and browse through important notes.
She went on that she was shocked when she went through the browsing history of the phone and found messages on messenger of a conversation between the victim and the accused person quoting “baby, baby”.
She concluded her testimony that upon that revelation from the midwife herself and husband headed to the accused and confronted him with the allegation.
In his judgment, Justice Momoh Jah Stevens, said the accused tried to make some allegations against the detective officer when he read his confessional statement in court that, the officer forced him to confess to the crime and he was innocent.
Justice Momoh Jah Stevens cautioned the accused on his choice of words that he was not forced to do anything rather he made a confessional statement to the offence and that the evidence against him has indicted him already.
He said for the fact that the accused eloped for 4 months and went into hiding proved that he was guilty of his actions.
