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Justice Francis Banks-Kamara delivered the ruling on 4 August 2026 at the High Court Criminal Session in Bo City. The judge sentenced John Lappia, Syrus Fofanah, and Raymond Jonjo after they pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and sexual abuse of a child.
The prosecution, led by the Attorney General, charged the three men on two counts: conspiracy contrary to law, and sexual penetration of a child under Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act 2012, as amended by Section 4(ii) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act No. 8 of 2019.
Court records established that the offence occurred on 4 May 2022, involving a victim under the legal age of consent. The conspiracy charge covered a period between 5 May 2022 and 1 August 2022, during which the trio conspired with unidentified persons to commit the crime within the Bo Judicial District.
Defence counsel Francis Baimba Swaray Esq. of the Legal Aid Board in Bo City presented a plea in mitigation, appealing to the court for leniency following the defendants’ guilty pleas.
Taking into account the guilty pleas and defence submissions, Justice Banks-Kamara cautioned and discharged the convicts on Count 1 (Conspiracy) and sentenced each defendant to seven years on Count 2 (Sexual Penetration of a Child). The combined sentences total 21 years, to be served at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre in Bo.
Justice Banks-Kamara, who presided over the case, chaired the launch of the Sexual Offences Model Court in Bo City in March 2025. The UNICEF-sponsored project aims to provide an enabling environment where young victims and vulnerable witnesses can go through the judicial process with dignity and self-esteem intact.
The Sexual Offences Model Court was established to address the growing number of sexual offence cases in the region and to ensure that victims receive proper support throughout the judicial process.
