By: Alimatu Jalloh
The systems and Data Analyst at the Cyber Crime Unit at the Criminal Investigation Department, Detective Sergeant 6890 Lebbie Sahr Fofay, has on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, tendered evidence before Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Pademba Road Court No. 1 following the gang-related death of one James Conteh.
Led in evidence by ASP I.S. Mansaray, the prosecutor witness outlined some of his duties, including examining, transferring, analyzing, and extracting digital evidence from electronic devices. He recalled that on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, while on duty together with D. Inspector Mohamed Jusu, he received a correspondent along with a Techno Spark 10c mobile phone from D. Inspector A.E. Conteh, attached to the CID central police station, for forensic analysis and transcription of the videos.
He further explained that the mobile phone was examined and found to be in good working order. The subscriber SIM number, 072028459, was identified, and the owner was confirmed to be Chernor Kamara.
“The videos in the phone in question were transferred to the office Dell laptop computer, examined, and then transferred to a pen drive preserved as confidential material,” he said. The videos were also reduced to a report and signed by him as the analyst, while D. Inspector Mohamed Jusu signed as a witness. The phone was then handed back to D. Inspector A.E. Conteh for safe custody, and the report and pen drive have since been in his custody.
At this stage, the witness was about to tender the report and pen drive when defense lawyer Kofi objected, noting that the phone must be in court and the videos played, arguing that proper foundation had not been laid. However, ASP I.S. Mansaray countered that proper foundation had been laid because the 5th witness had tendered the videos earlier, but the phone got missing. The pen drive was displayed, and the defense did not object, allowing cross-examination from start to finish.
In his ruling, Magistrate Kekura overruled the defense’s objection. The pen drive and the report were tendered as exhibits. The defense counsel applied for the cross-examination to be deferred to a later date, which was granted. The matter was adjourned to February 11, 2025, for further hearing.
It could be recalled that six accused persons, including Hassan Kamara alias “Shine Face,” Fatmata Turay, Brima Kamara, Brima Tarawally, Abubakarr Kamara, and Samuel Turay, were arraigned before Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown for murder.
All six accused were charged with two counts for allegedly ganging up and killing one James Conteh alias James Okeke contrary to section 4 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861.
On count one, according to the charge sheet, all six accused persons on March 1, at Ascension Town Cemetery in Freetown, conspired together with unknown persons to commit a felony—murder. On count two, contrary to section 1 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861 as repealed and replaced by section 1(a) to the schedule of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2021 Act No. 6 of 2022, all six accused on the aforementioned date and place, murdered one James Conteh alias James Okeke.