By Yusufu S. Bangura
High Court Judge, Alusine Sesay, has sentenced Alie Koroma to two years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the offence of fraudulent conversion.
It was alleged that the convict on the 1st October 2021 in Freetown conspired with other persons unknown to fraudulently convert Johnson baby lotion products worth NLe36, 000,000 given to him for sale by the complainant.
Before sentencing the convict, Justice Sesay said the convict pleaded guilty to the offence and had not wasted the time of the court.
He added that the convict was a first time offender and a promising young man. In his plea mitigation, the convict pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy on him and promised to never repeat such act again.
However, Lawyer Cecilia Tucker from Legal Aid Board in her plea mitigation pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy on the convict, adding that he is a family man.
She informed the court that the convict was a first time offender and must have learnt his lessons during his stay at the Male Correctional Centre.
She called on the judge to take into cognisance the fact that the convict did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty to the charge, stating that he had shown some amount of remorse for his wrongdoing.
After listening to the convict and the defense counsel, Justice Sesay sentenced the convict to a jail term of twenty-four (24) months or 2 years including time spent in prison. He further ordered that the convict should also pay a compensation fee of NLe2, 000,000 to the complainant after serving his jail term.
