1 Comment 
Chief Justice Komba Kamanda has ordered the immediate release of petty trader Fatmata Kamara, known as “Mammy Iye,” one week after she was sentenced to two months in prison for insulting a magistrate.
The Chief Justice exercised his powers under Section 5 of the Summary Review Act, Cap 17 of the Laws of Sierra Leone, to review the decision of the York Magistrate’s Court without a formal appeal.
Kamara, a cookery seller, was convicted on March 18 after pleading guilty to two counts of public insult and provocation, contrary to Sections 2 and 3(1) of the Public Order Act, 1965. Magistrate Solomon Christian Kekurah sentenced her to one month on each count, to run consecutively.
According to the private criminal summons, the incident occurred on March 5 at a welding shop at New Jersey Junction in Goderich, Freetown. Magistrate Aaron Bangura, the complainant, had gone to purchase food from Kamara’s stall. After waiting several minutes without being served, he urged her to attend to him as he was in a hurry. Witnesses said Kamara responded with abusive language and continued despite being cautioned by bystanders who told her she did not know whom she was addressing.
During her court appearance, Kamara told the magistrate she had not known the complainant was a magistrate. In handing down the sentence, Magistrate Kekurah stated that her conduct was disrespectful and provocative, directed at a “high-level citizen of this country in the capacity of a magistrate.”
Kamara was held at the Female Correctional Centre until the Chief Justice’s order for her release on March 24.
𝕊𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕟𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕦𝕡 𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕝. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕒𝕕𝕧𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕡𝕠𝕠𝕣 𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕟𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕔𝕥 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕪, 𝕟𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕤𝕠 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕛𝕠𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 ( ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕦𝕖 ). 𝔾𝕠𝕕 𝕓𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕊𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕒 𝕃𝕖𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 (𝔸𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕟)