By Ibrahim Kabba Turay
Justice Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens has sentenced 24-year-old Abu Bakarr Sannoh to 10 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexually penetrating a 12-year-old pupil.
Sannoh was before the court on a one count indictment of Sexual Penetration contrary to Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act 2012, Act No. 12 of 2012, as repealed and replaced by Section 4 (a) (ii) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019, Act No. 8 of 2019.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 the 29th January 2022 in Freetown, in the Western Area of the country, engaged in an act of Sexual Penetration with a child.
State prosecutor J.B Kamara made an application upon the accused arraignment for the accused to be tried by a judge alone instead of a judge and a jury of which Justice Momoh Jah Stevens granted the said application.
The convict denied the allegation upon his arraignment and the State Prosecutor Jane B. Kamara led in evidence a number of witnesses including the victim in support of his case.
In his judgment, Justice Momoh Jah Stevens said the accused tried to make against the detective officer when he read his confessional statement in court that the officer forced him to confess to the crime, stating that he was innocent of the accusation.
Justice Momoh Jah Stevens cautioned the accused in his choice of words that he was not forced to do anything rather he made a confessional statement to the offence.
Justice Stevens said his confessional statement indicted him already.
