Magistrate Marke Ngegba of Court No. 2 on Pademba Road in Freetown has on Thursday July 16, 2020 sentenced one Mohamed Barrie to serve twelve months in prison for posing as a legal practitioner after finding him guilty on two counts. The accused’s prison sentence is to be served concurrently, and each of the counts on which he was convicted were punished with a six months jail term, thus amounting to twelve months.
The accused, by his conduct, breached section 21 (a) (b) of the Legal Practitioners Act as amended in 2000, which is intended to prevent unqualified persons from practicing as lawyers.
According to the police, the accused on diverse dates between Monday July 6, 2020 and July 8, 2020, at Lumley Police Station and Old Railway Line Brookfields in Freetown, unlawfully and falsely led other persons to believe that he was a legal practitioner in Sierra Leone.
After the charges were put to him in court, Mohamed Barrie, the accused pleaded guilty.
The Lead Prosecutor, J.M.S Bull Esq., stated that the accused falsely made a representation at the Lumley Police Station as a lawyer and gave the impression that he is practicing law thus convincing an investigating officer in a matter which had been reported at the Station.
According to State Counsel, he replicated that same falsehood to a senior counsel, Lawyer Hindolo M. Gevao at his chambers in Brookfields.
Lawyer Bull said that there were other persons in the public holding themselves out as legal practitioners and professionals who are not what they are claiming to be which is sending a bad signal to the populace about the legal professional.
She informed the court that the accused person had another file for which he is standing trial before the same court on different charges.
Bull pleaded with the Magistrate to give the accused a custodial sentence and a fine to send a strong message which will deter the public from such crimes.
The accused when given an opportunity to speak by the Magistrate said he was an LLB student that had taken the law exams twice.
Barrie pleaded with the Bar and promised not to repeat his conduct.
After the Magistrate had read out the verdict, the 60-year-old mother of the accused, Phebean Ashley who is blind, burst out in tears lamenting that the verdict will kill her. She cried and called out loudly in the courtroom for her son to be granted clemency.
By Isabella Cassell
17/07/2020. ISSUE NO: 7868