Magistrate Marke Ngegba on Thursday July 2, 2020, ordered for two persons, Saidu Fofanah alias “shakur” and Komba Sandy alias “kartel”, to be remanded at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in Freetown.
The two are charged with the crimes of conspiracy, robbery with aggravation, wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
According to details of their charges, the accused persons on Friday April 10, 2020, at Bomba House, Juba Hill, armed with a cutlass robbed Anthony Fatoma and Isatu Fatoma of his mobile phones, Plasma television, three pairs of Adidas crepe, a silver chain, perfume, Bluetooth speaker and cash, all to the total value of Le 10,750,000.
Police claim that the accused with ill will wounded Anthony and Isatu Fatoma and caused them serious bodily harm.
Anthony Fatoma reported the matter to the police and is the first prosecution witness in the matter. He testified that on the day of the incident, he had heard someone knocking on their door at around 3:00am. He said when woke up to see who was knocking on the door, and had almost opened the door when he noticed that about six unfamiliar persons outside of the house.
Fatoma said he tried to close the door but the robbers pushed it with heavy force and bulldozed their way into the house.
He revealed that when the robbers entered his house they told him that they had been sent there based on information which had been passed on to them by his business partner.
He added that the first accused, Saidu, on pain of death demanded that he should give them the money that he had brought home. He said the accused persons were holding on to machetes.
He furthered that the second accused, Komba ordered him to lie on the ground and hit him with a cutlass on the head, and the second accused entered the room where his wife and three-month-old baby was. He said the second accused took the baby and put it in a box.
Fatoma revealed to the court that they demanded that if he did not show them where he had kept the money they would not remove his child from the box.
He said his boss had earlier given him Le3 million to send through Orange money for someone but was unable to send it because the system was down, therefore he took the money home.
He said he had kept the Le 3,000,000 he had brought home together with a separate sum of Le 1,000,000 amounting to Le 4,000,000, which he asked his wife to bring out of his drawer and gave it to the accused.
He informed the court that the first accused slapped his wife on her face and collected the money from her.
Anthony Fatoma said that the accused person took away some of his personal effects which includes, watch, perfume, shoes, two phones, silver chain etc.
He revealed that the accused pretended to go away when they noticed someone approaching, but went back into the house for the second times and demanded for the plasma television which he gave to them.
He said that accused were in a hurry to leave the house they revealed their names.
Fatoma explained that the names he remembered was that of the first and second accused. He said while he was going to the Police Station he met a soldier whom he showed the names of the accused and was informed by the soldier that the accused are residents of their community.
He said he came with some policemen and they searched for the accused persons, apprehended them and took them to the Lumley Police Station, where they made statements.
He said after he had made statements there the police visited the scene.
The matter was prosecuted by Sergeant F.R. Newstead.
Magistrate Ngegba adjourned the matterto Tuesday July 7, 2020.
By Isabella Cassell
6/7/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7859