Justice Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens (JA) has sentenced 20 year-old commercial motorbike rider, Osman Barrie, to 20 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexually penetrating a 14 year-old pupil.

Barrie was before the court on one count indictment of sexual penetration contrary to Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act 2012, Act No. 12 of 2012, as repealed and replaced by Section 4 (a) (ii) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019, Act No. 8 of 2019.

State Prosecutor, Musa Pious Sesay, had alleged that the accused on a date unknown between the 1st day of July 2021, in Freetown, engaged in an act of sexual penetration with a child.

The convict denied the allegations upon his arraignment and the state prosecutor Musa Pious Sesay led in evidence a number of witnesses including the victim in support of his case.

In her evidence, the school going girl admitted knowing the accused to be her neighbour and recalled that on dated between the 1st day of July and the 31st day of July 2021, she went to the home of the accused to borrow a laundering board.

She said that after the accused had directed her into his rooms, he followed her, grabbed her, removed her pant and sexually penetrated her.

“I saw blood oozing from my vagina and I went to take my bath,” the victim explained, adding that she only got to know that she had been impregnated by the accused when another woman drew her attention to it.

At the close of the prosecution’s case, the accused relied on the statement of the police.

Delivering his judgement, justice Stevens noted that the accused voluntarily made a confessional statement which made the act of the accused contrary to section 4 (a) (ii) of the sexual offences Act 2019/as amended.
In his allocutus, the convict pleaded for mercy but was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment