Inspector Mohamed Sultan Sewa, a police commanding office attached to the Moyamba Police Station, on Thursday June 18, 2020, testified before Magistrate Hannah Bonnie of Court No.1 that one Abdul Turay, with ill will, wounded him deliberately and in the process also caused grave harm to his person.
The accused person, Abdul Turay, is being preliminarily investigated on three charges – wounding with intent, wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Police are claiming that, Turay, on Tuesday June 2, 2020 at Moyamba Junction, Fankaya Chiefdom, cruelly wounded and assaulted Police Inspector Mohamed Sultan Sewa in a manner to cause him serious physical injury.
The victim, Sewa, testified that on June 2, 2020, he went to Moyamba Junction to execute an arrest of the accused in respect of a complaint lodged against him to the police for wounding.
Sewa said that when he arrived at Moyamba, he went to the house of the accused who was not at home but met his brother whom he asked about the accused’s whereabouts. He said that the brother could not give him any vital information.
He said he later asked an old woman who then sent for one Mr. Conteh to open the door of house of the accused. The witness said that after his had been on the door for few minutes, he heard it opening. He said he tried to push the door to enter the accused’s house but Turay (accused), struck his left hand with a cutlass.
He furthered that he tried to reverse from the door, but the accused struck him again. Sewa said he was bleeding profusely and was in severe pain when Police Constable Kamanda came to his aid. He said the accused pursued PC Kamanda with the same cutlass and attempted to strike him, but Kamanda stop his blow from the cutlass with a stick.
Sewa said another Police officer, PC Osman Jalloh, came but he was also chased away by the accused with the same cutlass.
Sewa added that he rushed to the street where he met a military officer and another police, explained to them about what had happened. He said that he was taken to a health centre at Moyamba Junction from where he was later referred to the Kenema Government Hospital.
He said he made a report to the Moyamba Police Station and was issued a with a police medical request form, and was admitted at the Moyamba Hospital for about three days and later brought down to Freetown at the Police Hospital at Kingtom.
After the testimony of the victim and the cross-examination of the victim by the accused, Magistrate Bonnie did not admit the accused to bail on the grounds that he had been convicted by the court on similar offences in the past.
She ordered for the accused to be remanded in custody, and adjourned the matter to Friday June 26, 2020.
By Isabella Cassell
22/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7850