So At last the trial is over.
The High Court of Sierra Leone has finally convicted him of 8 counts of sexual offences Against A Child for which he was sentenced to a mere 15 years.

The matter is no longer ‘sub judice’ and we are all free to break the silence and comment.

SO MY TAKE: For past 3 years all we have heard from the Ignorant, Uninformed & Gullible across over newspapers and social media commentaries is Kamaraimba!, Kamaraimba!
As if he alone was charged or was being tried for ‘victimless’ crimes.
Now the court has confirmed emphatically that he is Indeed a paedophile convicted on ALL 8 separate counts, let’s take a moment to Remember & Ask about the child he preyed upon.

An underage Victim/ Survivor child who has been kept away from her family and out of school in ‘protective custody’ for at least 3 years.

Let’s please spare a thought for that child and her family and what they have gone through.

Due to the cowardice, bias and prejudice of Sierra Leonean media practitioners the general public were never informed of what actually went on in court in this matter over the years the trial lasted. Witnesses came to the court, gave evidence, were tested by rigorous cross examination by Defence lawyers but other than the initial salacious details the media reported nothing but Kamaraimba wants bail!

In reality the convict & his lawyers did not dent the victim/ survivor’s credibility or the evidence against him in any way. And yet he has, after wasting the court’s time, our state resources and continuing to traumatize & re- traumatize the child survivor for years still received the minimum sentence for the offences he has been convicted of.

He could have pleaded Guilty on arraignment on Day 1 of the trial and spared the victim/ survivor all the anguish of his time wasting in court and still got just 15 years.

Now for him the time he spent in prison from committal for trial will be deducted; plus another 5 years of the sentence will be remitted. He will be eligible for parole shortly or even to be ‘ pardoned’ immediately by a re-election seeking president alleging ‘political peacemaking & national unity’ to justify letting a convicted paedophile out early.

But what about that child? Who gives her back all she has lost since that convicted paedophile set his evil eyes on her all those years ago?

I have been asking myself why did it take the judge so long to close the defence’s dead – in- the water non case and bring this nightmare to an end? I can ask it now openly: And why the delay? Why the media silence and indifference?
Is it because she is a SHE and her parents are poor?