Post a comment
Bockarie Kanneh Junior, a 24-year-old student, was granted bail during his first appearance in court for a case of fraudulent conversion. Accompanied by his mother, Bockarie appeared confident yet somewhat timid. He was legally represented by Abraham Kargbo.
Inspector Sylvanus Sandy of 7 Hagan Street in Freetown, a police detective attached to the CID at Lumley, testified as the first prosecution witness. Sandy stated that he recognized the accused when he was arrested and taken to the Lumley Police Station on October 23, 2021, while he was on duty.
According to Inspector Sandy, Reverend Raymond Coker, the complainant, arrested the accused and reported a case of fraudulent conversion involving a tricycle with registration number APP 942, valued at 30 million Leones. Inspector Sandy took a statement from the complainant on the same day. He further explained that with the assistance of Inspector Sufian Mansaray, they obtained a statement from the accused as well. Together, they accompanied the victim to the scene mentioned in his statement, where they did not find the tricycle as described. Inspector Sandy stated, “After interrogating the accused, we charged the matter to court.”
During cross-examination, Abraham Kargbo, the defense lawyer, inquired about the interviewing process of the accused. Inspector Sandy confirmed that he interviewed along with Inspector Mansaray. When asked if the interview was unbiased, Inspector Sandy replied affirmatively.
However, he admitted that they did not interview the complainant to verify the information provided by the accused regarding the condition of the tricycle.
Kargbo applied for bail on behalf of the accused, and the prosecution, led by Edwards, did not object to the bail request. Justice Cosmotina Jarrett granted bail to the accused and adjourned the matter until August 1st, 2023.
