By Elizabeth Kamara
In a court appearance before Magistrate Sahr Kehkura at Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown, 26-year-old Ishmael Conteh is facing a single count of murder, as outlined in section 1 of the Offenses Against the Person Act 1861, as amended by section (1) (a) of the Abolition of Death Penalty Act of 2022.
The charge sheet alleges that the accused, between December 27 and 28, 2023, in Upper George Brooke Dwazark, Freetown, murdered Ishmael Monrovia.
According to the prosecution counsel, witness No.1 Deema Kamara, a teacher, testified that on Wednesday, December 27, around 10:30hrs, she provided the deceased with a raw banana and some items for sale. Later, when she returned home at approximately 17:30hrs, the deceased was nowhere to be found. After an unsuccessful search in the community, she filed a missing person’s report at the police station.
The witness’s testimony was abruptly cut short due to an unspecified reason, and the accused was subsequently remanded. The case has been adjourned to February 23, 2024, for further proceedings.
