Magistrate Blasts Police Investigators For Failing to Charge Indian National in Theft Case

Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Ross Road Court intimated the head of prosecution at the Ross Road Court No.1, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Osman M. Bangura that, the investigator who investigated the matter involving Mohamed Jalloh, alias Star, carried out a bad investigation.

This happened because during the investigation, the accused, Mohamed Jalloh, admitted to stealing the properties in question and selling them to an Indian national, but the police investigator failed to charge the India national to court.

Magistrate Kekura called it bad investigation as the police ought to have charged both the accused and the Indian national, but failed to do so.

In addendum, the complainant, Mohamed Tamba Kargbo, during his evidence in chief, confessed to the court that the accused told them that he sold the stolen properties to the India national. But he said when he and team of police officers went to the India national’s residence to conduct a search, the police officers asked to wait for them outside, and that was the end of the search.

Prosecution witness (PW) 2, driver Mohamed Koroma residing at Calaba Town in Freetown, told the court that he recognised the accused and could recall Monday, 12th June, 2023.

He said on the day in question, he was at the Sierra Leone Produce Monitoring Board (SLPMB) Junction in Wellington, Freetown, when around 5am he saw the accused coming from the direction of the complainant’s shop ‘with a big bag’.

Koroma said when he called out the accused’s name, Star boy, ‘he ran away, adding that prompted them to go to the complainant’s shop, where they discovered that the shop had been breached.

PW2 said on the following morning he gave information to the complainant about the accused, adding that he and the complainant left for the accused’s residence at Maxwell Street in Freetown, where the accused was subsequently arrested and convened to the Wellington Police Post in Freetown.

He said he was present at the post when the police interrogated the accused, where he admitted to stealing the goods and allegedly selling them to an India national.

The witness concluded his evidence that he made a statement to the police at the aforesaid police post in Wellington, Freetown.

Mohamed Jalloh, 24, was arrested on 21st June, 2023 by Detective Police Constable 18138 Kargbo L. and arraigned before Magistrate Sahr Kekura on two counts charges of store breaking and malicious damage contrary to law.

It was alleged by the police that the accused, on Monday, 12th June, 2023 at Wellington in Freetown, maliciously damaged two fans, six stabilisers, 46 inch Smart plasma TV valued at twenty- six thousand, eight hundred leones (NLe26,800) belonging to Mohamed Tamba Kargbo.

Responding, Magistrate Kekura refused the accused bail and remanded him at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in Freetown and the matter was adjourned to 14th August, 2023 for further hearing.