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Derick Teackham, an Information Technology Officer for the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, presented CCTV footage in court on Friday, November 12th, 2024, as part of the ongoing Court Martial trial related to the attempted coup.
Teackham, who works at the Ministry of Information but is stationed at Pademba Road prison, described his duties which include maintaining data, installing software, and analyzing CCTV footage. He confirmed that he’s held this position since 2020.
According to Awoko, Teackham explained his daily routine of checking prison cameras to ensure they’re operational. He also creates backups and identifies footage relevant to security concerns for management review.
Following a request from management on November 26th, 2023, Teackham specifically analyzed footage from Camera One, located outside the prison’s main gate. He presented a copy of this footage on a flash drive as evidence.
The court viewed the footage, which reportedly showed some of the accused and other attackers wielding RPGs and AK-47s. It also depicted a military vehicle repeatedly ramming the prison gate in an attempt to breach it.
Teackham confirmed the recordings were captured on November 26th, 2023, at approximately 8:00 AM and stored on an external hard drive.
He further explained the existence of two additional functional cameras: one positioned inside the prison yard entrance and another facing Dworzark. The court subsequently viewed footage from Camera Two, which showed the prison yard engulfed in tear gas, with smoke rising from the ground to the building’s rooftop.
Teackham testified that while reviewing Camera One (outside the gate), he observed three individuals in OSD uniforms firing tear gas into the prison yard.
All footage obtained on November 26th, 2023, was saved on flash drives and an external hard drive, according to Teackham’s closing statement.
The defense attorney representing the 12th and 17th accused, Lawyer Charlie Israel Williams, requested a delay in cross-examination. He cited the need to examine the presented evidence before questioning the witness. The court granted this request
