Police Investigator (DPC) 11522 Abu Koroma, attached to the Criminal Investigations Department, Central Police Division has on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, testified before Magistrate Isata Sellu- Tucker at Court No.2 on Pademba Road, Freetown in the alleged killing of Ibrahim Kargbo aged 35.
The Police Investigator recalled that at around 9:50a.m. on September 18, 2020, the father of the deceased, Abdulrahman Kargbo made a report that he had seen his son lying on the ground with blood all over his body, at 17 Regent Street at around 5:30am. He instructed the mortuary workers about it upon instructions from his boss.
He explained that himself, together with DPC 9546 Conteh H. and deceased’s father went to the crime scene at Regent Street, and he when they arrived there they saw the remains of the deceased on the floor with blood all over.
Conteh furthered that the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) took snapshots of the deceased, and after personnel from the mortuary took the corpse of the deceased and conveyed it on a Police vehicle to the Connaught Mortuary for an autopsy to be conducted on it.
He told the court that after they took the remains of the deceased to the mortuary, they later arrested the accused.
He added that they took the accused to the station and obtained statement from the complainant and other witnesses, and on September 21, 2020, the team of investigators obtained caution statement from the accused person.
He mentioned that on September 25, 2020, he together with the complainant witnessed an autopsy on the remains of the deceased which was conducted at the Connaught Hospital by Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma, the Government Consultant Pathologist, who prepared and handed a cause of death certificate to the family.
He added that on November 5, 2020, he and Dsgt.9542 Marrah M. finally interviewed and charged the accused person with the offence of manslaughter, and the charge statement was witnessed by Dsgt. Marrah M..
However, it could be recalled that the accused person on Friday September 18, 2020, at 17 Regent Street, Freetown allegedly killed Ibrahim Kargbo.
After the testimony by the Investigator, the accused said he relied on his statement made to the Police as his defense.
The accused was not legally represented and the matter was prosecuted by 10980 Hannah Newstead.
Magistrate Sellu- Tucker sent the accused into remand and adjourned the matter to Wednesday February 17, 2021.
By Isabella Cassell
10/02/2021. ISSUE NO: 7999