Death of 4-Year-Old Girl… Convict Gets 31 Years Imprisonment

At the Freetown High Court on main Law Courts Building Siaka Stevens Street, a thirty- five (35) year old male youth and a building construction labourer, Lahai Kamara has been sentenced to thirty-one (31) years imprisonment on conviction of murder.

In his judgment dated 2nd November 2022, Justice Monfred Momoh Sesay, a Court of Appeal Judge sitting as High Court Judge in the concluded trial between the State against the now – convict Lahai Kamara said 30 years of the sentence is limited to him (convict) and the plus-one goes as a deterrent for the crime against the four- year old girl child (deceased) and her family.

The convict will serve his sentence at the Maximum Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in Freetown, effective the time spent on remand, 5th July 2017. He (convict) was found guilty by a Ten-man jury headed by the foreman, Daniel George Sesay.

In his summing up according to law, the trial Judge of fact (Jurors), Justice Monfred Momoh Sesay said the prosecution had not led any direct evidence throughout the trial, but rather relied on circumstantial evidence which he (Judge) said is by law equally good as direct evidence.

In proving the guilt of the then accused person, Lahai Kamara, the State Prosecutor Aruna Jalloh led four witnesses, including the deceased`s father, the government consultant pathologist, Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma, Police Investigator and exhibit officer attached to the Adonkia Police Station, Goderich in Freetown with a total of eight exhibits tendered to the court, the trial Judge passed his judgment.

On the 28th October 2018, Lahai Kamara made his first appearance at the High Court for trial, and upon arraignment, he pleaded not guilty of the State count indictment of murder, contrary to law.

The particulars in the indictment state that on the 28th June 2017, convict, Lahai Kamara murdered the deceased, a four -year old girl child, whose corpse was found two days later at an abandoned site at Gbendembu, Goderich and 60 meters away from his (convict`s) house. The convict, thirty-one year old Lahai Kamara was arrested, investigated and charged to court on a Preliminary Investigation conducted at Magistrate Court and later committed to the High Court for proper trial.

On the 30th June 2017, a post mortem examination was conducted on the remains of the four- year old girl child by Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma, the now Chief Medical Examiner attached to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

As per findings on the cause of death, the four- year old girl child was manually strangulated and died of severe physical and sexual assault, a classical case of child abuse. At the close of the prosecution case on the 5th October 2022, the accused person in his selection of evidence, the Judge relied on the denial statement of the accused made to the police.

Defense Counsel from the Legal Aid Board, Randy S. Bangura pleaded with the Judge to temper justice with mercy in favour of the convict. According to Counsel, the convict had learnt his lesson since his arrest and throughout the course of the trial. The convict is a bread winner of his aged parents and even if the Judge decided to let him (convict) go free, the case would still cause him psychological effect.

Lawyer Randy S. Bangura pleaded with the Judge to give the convict a second chance by imposing a minimal sentence, taking into consideration the time spent and to take him (convict) as a repentant child and to see him come out to be an ambassador of peace.

The State Prosecutor, Aruna Jalloh informed the Judge that as by law, the convict is liable to a maximum of life imprisonment and a minimum of 30 years; and then consider 60 years jail term for the convict, Lahai Kamara.