By Alimatu Jalloh
Consultant pathologist, Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma on Friday, July 21, 2023, testified before Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road Court No. 1 in a case relating to the murder of Gillis Edward Ola Johnson, former teacher at the Providence International High School.
The expert witness said that he has been a Pathologist for over 40 years.
He recalled on June 15, 2023, when he was requested by the Sierra Leone Police to perform an autopsy on the remains of 60-year-old Gillis Ola Johnson at the Connaught mortuary.
“Haven done the said postmortem I got the cause of death as acute hemorrhagic shock due to profuse and torrential bleeding as a consequence of homicidal cut throat which completely severed both right and left jugular arteries,” he stated.
He said that the cause of death is unnatural, adding that the clinical summary correlated well with the autopsy report.
Dr. Owizz Koroma further said that the deceased was identified by his relatives. He said that after the autopsy, he wrote a report and issued out a death certificate on the cause of death and gave the original certificate to the deceased relatives and a copy to the Sierra Leone Police.
The autopsy report and cause of death certificate were tendered in court to form part of the evidence.
Dr. Owizz Koroma said the deceased body was brought to the Connaught Hospital to ascertain the precise cause of death, adding that during the autopsy he found that the deceased body was physically fit and other organs were all intact at the time of the incident.
During cross-examination, the pathologist said the deceased died following brutal, horrific and fatal wounds he received to his neck during the alleged incident.
He continued that based on his experience, the deceased was not attacked a by group of people, adding that no finger print test was done on the deceased because he is not an expert on that area, adding that he could not tell who committed the act.
However, Magistrate Ngegba remanded the accused, a 17-year-old pupil, and adjourned the matter to Thursday, July 27, 2023, for further hearing.
The accused is charged on one count of murder contrary to law. The incident was said to have occurred on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at the residence of the late teacher at 54 Victoria Street in Freetown.