Legal Aid Board has on Wednesday met with family members and relatives of 27 people sentenced the following day by a Freetown Magistrate after pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of Public Order related offences.

The scores of family members and relatives of the 27 people sentenced stormed the head offices of the Legal Aid Board where they appealed to its Executive Director, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles to use her good office to have the sentence rescinded by the Magistrate.

The accused persons who include Alusine Kargbo and others according to their family members were sentenced by Magistrate Shar Kekura of the Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 1 to eight months imprisonment and a fine of two hundred and fifty thousand Leones (Le250,000/00) each.

Speaking to the Executive Director the distressed relatives said that their love ones were innocent and were apparently hoodwinked into pleading guilty with the hope that they will be given lesser sentences.

They however noted that was not the case as all the 27 were sentenced each to a period of eight months imprisonment and a fine of two hundred and fifty thousand Leones (Le250, 000/00).

Responding to the appealed, Ms. Carlton-Hanciles said she is constrained to say the Board hasn’t got the power to do such as the matter has been concluded.

She said that, “What the Board would have done is to appeal against the sentence but considering the fact that the accused persons pleaded guilty to the offences, there are little or no chances for such an appeal”.

“This matter has ended and all I will say is pay regular visits to them at the correctional center and at the same time advise them on how to be peaceful and law abiding citizens after serving their sentences,” she added.