By Blessing C. Cole
On Wednesday, 15th November, Justice Monfred Sesay of the Siaka Steven Street High Court sentenced one notorious armed robber, Alpha Kamara, to 5 years imprisonment for calling a judge ‘bra’.
The convict was before the court on two counts of conspiracy and robbery with aggravation contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
It was alleged that the convict on the 13th January 2023 in Freetown, conspired with unknown persons to commit a crime.
It was further alleged that the convict on the same date and place stole Cordial Peters’ property worth NLe 8, 496.00.
When the charges were read and explained to the convict by the court registrar, he pleaded guilty to the offense and he was immediately convicted by Justice sesay.
Giving a brief fact of the offense by state counsel, Aruna Jalloh, in the evening hour of the said date and place, the complainant was jugging along the beach road, Aberdeen when the convict and unknown persons robbed her back park which contained one Iphone 11 promax valued NLe 8000, one black bag valued NLe 150, one pair hand glove valued NLe 200,one skipping rope valued NLe 100, one bottle water valued NLe 6 and a fiscal cash of NLe 40, all to the total value of NLe 8, 496.00.
He said after the incident, the convict and the other unknown persons ran into the Golf Club compound while the complainant alerted the police along the beach road.
He said the convict and his colleagues were chased by the police officers, but that they succeeded in arresting the convict while the others ran with the items.
He also said upon the arrest of the convict, he told the police that he went into the said compound to defecate, but when he was asked to show the faeces it was nowhere to be seen.
He said the convict was arrested and taken to the police station where he was investigated and later charged to court.
After giving the fact of the matter, Justice Sesay asked whether the convict had anything to tell him before the sentencing, but the convict pleaded with him to temper him justice with mercy as it was a mistake through temptation.
While pleading with the judge to temper him justice with mercy, the convict mistakenly called justice Sesay as ‘bra’.
In that light, Justice Sesay told the convict that he had lost the mercy that he had for him by calling him ‘bra.’
However, defence counsel, Randy S. Bangura made a plea on behalf of his client, but the judge said that he will punish the convict for him to learn his way of speaking.
Meanwhile, Justice Sesay cautioned and discharged him on count one and sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment on count two, which should be run consecutively.
He informed the defense counsel that his last order was part of the punishment he gave the convict for calling him ‘bra’ so that he could control his language.
