Emmanuel Teddy Koroma Esq lead defense counsel for the accused person has said in his no-case submission that the accused person has no case to answer before magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba road court No.1 in the alleged murder of Mr. Gillis Edward Ola Johnson involving Schoolboy Mohamed Arun Conteh.

The accused is arraigned on preliminary investigation on a count of murder contrary to law.

According to the charge, the accused Mohamed Arun Conteh on Saturday 11th March 2023 at Victoria Street Freetown murdered Mr. Gillis Edward Ola Johnson.

Defense in the murder trial of Mohamed Harun Conteh makes no-case submission Emmanuel Teddy Koroma said the burden is essential the prosecutor proved that the said killing took place with malice which according to him, the prosecution failed to establish a case against the accused even though it was established that someone died and that a killing took place but didn’t show who committed the said act of killing. Thus, therefore, he said the 17-year-old Mohamed Harun Conteh has no case to answer.

None of the witnesses he said ever testified that they saw the person who committed the offense.

The prosecution he said is relying on circumstantial evidence which he further submitted before the court. The facts before the court are very remote to be committed to the high court as it will be a waste of resources to further sit on such a case.

The Prosecutor Umu Sumariay replied said the prosecution met all the elements. From the inception of the case, she said she had intimidated the court that all the evidence she had are circumstantial referencing the case of Baimba Foray alias LAC in 2016.

The case before the court she said is like a twisted bow where everything points to the accused. She said she had established from the start of the matter that the accused at the time of the incident was, resident in Sierra Leone and the act committed within a year and a day.

Malice aforethought she submitted does not necessarily mean someone is required not to like another. She tied that with the cause of death “It was reported by the Pathologist; hence it is an indication of malice aforethought.

Throughout the trial, she said none of the 9 prosecution witnesses except the accused in his statement to the police mentioned, that the teacher was stabbed multiple times before he could make his way to safety. All of the witnesses she said pointed at the accused as the only person who was seen at the residence of the victim on the day of the deceased. No evidence she said has ever been in court that the four attackers claimed by the accused were ever seen around the vicinity of the deceased 68-year-old teacher.

She pointed out that there are inconsistencies in the story of the accused she termed as preposterous when Harun told the police that he was attacked by four men and murdered his teacher.

“If his story doesn’t make sense, then it’s not true” Madam Suma Ray concluded.

The matter was however committed to the high court for trial as the Magistrate Mark Ngegba said there acher is sufficient circumstantial evidence pre with elements of facts to be proven by a jury at the high court.