Magistrate Isata Sellu-Tucker has remanded, Musa Kallon, a thirty-three- year old Labourer, in relation to his alleged killing of twenty-seven year old Sahr Gandi. Kallon appeared before the Magistrate for the third time on Thursday February 4, 2021 at Magistrate Court No. 2 where he is being investigated for the crime of manslaughter.
The Police are alleging that Kallon, on Wednesday 16th December, 2020, at No. 17 Malama Thomas Street in Freetown, caused the death of Sahr Gandi.
Prosecution witness Detective Police Constable and investigator (DPC) 11522 Abu Koroma, attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Central Police station testified that he recognized the accused person and that he also knew the deceased (Sahr Gandi).
He recalled that on Wednesday December 16, 20202,, the day of the crime, he was on duty at Central Police Station when one Abass Mansaray, together with other community people, brought in the accused whom they had arrested to the station.
He added that Abass Mansaray made a report that on the date in question around 6:30 am at No. 17 Malama Thomas Street address himself together with other people had seen the remains of the deceased inside water.
According to Koroma, after he had received the report, he, together with a team of personnel from the mortuary and DPC 9546 Conteh H. departed for the scene of the crime at Malama Thomas Street, and when they arrived there they saw the remains of the deceased in the water. He said the Scene of Crime Officer took snapshots of the deceased in the water, and soon after mortuary workers removed the corpse from there and conveyed it to the Mortuary at Connaught Hospital for an autopsy to be conducted on it.
He told the court that they later returned to the station, and together with DPC 12034 Fortune J.A., he obtained statement from the complainant and other witnesses.
He added that on the 17th of December, 2020, the team of investigators also obtained statement from the accused person and on the 21st of December, 2020, the father of the deceased made statement.
The witness furthered that on the 23rd December, 2020, he and the deceased’s father witnessed an autopsy which was performed by Dr. Simon Owizz Koroma, the Government Consultant Pathologist, on the remains of the deceased at the Mortuary. He said that at the end of the autopsy Doctor Owizz Koroma prepared a cause of death certificate which he handed to the family of the deceased.
Koroma added that on the 30th of December, 2020 he interviewed and recorded the responses of the accused, and also charged him with the offence of manslaughter, while Detective Police Constable 12034 Fortune J.A. witnessed the process. The witness was not asked questions by the defense because the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
Magistrate Isata Sellu-Tucker then adjourned the matter to Tuesday 9th February, 2021.
By Isabella Cassell
08/02/2021. ISSUE NO: 7997