Court of Appeal Judge who presides over cases at the Sexual Offences Model Court (SOMC), in freetown, Justice Jamesina King has yesterdaysentenced a teen , 41-year-old Ibrahim Sesay, a tailor by occupation, to 15 years imprisonment .
The Judge also orderedthat a compensation of Le10,000,000 (Ten Million Leones) be paid by the accusedfor sexually penetrating and impregnating the 12-year-old pupil (victim).
The accused, Sesay was before the Court on a one count indictment of sexual penetration.
The court said that the convict on a date unknown between the 1st to the 30th June 2017, sexually penetrated the victim somewhere around Lumley in the west end of Freetown.
The victim in her evidence in chief, affirmed that it was the convict who impregnated her during the month of Ramadan in 2017.
According to her, the incident took place when her aunt asked her to spend 2 nights in the convict’s room because her uncle had wanted to sleep in her aunt’s room and there was not enough room for all of them.
She saidSesay also proposed to teach the victim and her two friends how to perform prayers.
5th prosecution witness, Dr. Olabisi Cole, from Rainbo Centre, told the court that the victim’s hymen was ruptured, adding that they found out that the victim was nine (9) weeks pregnant.
After the close of the Prosecution’s case, the defence opened its case leading in evidence two witnesses including the convict in support of their case. The defence challenged the medical report, citing inconsistency in the dates in the report admitted to by the Doctor as an error which did not affect her findings.
The convict vehemently denied the allegations against him and said he was innocent.
The judge had said that the victim was a child.
shenoted that that the victim was consistent in her entire evidence, Justice King referenced the medical report which affirmed that the child had a ruptured hymen and that an ultrasound scan proved that she was pregnant.
The accused,Sesayhad said he was innocent.
The judge in her judgemnet had noted that the ten million Leones must be paid by the convict immediately or within 5 years after his release.
Justice King also ordered the Ministries of Social Welfare and Gender and Children’s Affairs to provide care for victim and her child and to also protect their identities.
Foreign Nationals caught in Illegal Mining
Police , together with officials of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA)in the South regionin Peje and Kabonde Chiefdoms in pujehun district have arrested some foreigners who had been engaged in illegal mining activities in that community. The foreign nationals were arrested as a few of their colleagues fled the area as police stormed the scene.
Reports said the suspects whose nationalities have not been disclosed by the policehad taken to the Bo police station.
EPA officals in the region have told Public Review that the stint operations are part of their swift move to monitor illegal mining activities in the district .
They said the move is part of their ‘’ compliance raids’’ in monitoring to effectively manage and protect the environment.
‘’There has been an increase in illegal mining in various part of country causing serious pollution of water bodies and the use of ban substance with attendant health implications for people in those communities.’’ A top EPA offcial told PR last night.
Reports say the raids were carried out in communities such as ;Kuiva and Futa villages in Kabonde Chiefdoms.
The team of officials was headed by the Acting regional manager of EPA, Joseph Gbassa.
The foreigners, the reports revealed were actively engaged in mining along the Wanjeriver with dredge machines without an Environmental Impact Assessment License.
This, accordingly ,contravenes section 23 of the Environment Protection Agency Act of 2008 and it’s amendment in 2010.
‘’what is most unfortunate is the unwillingness of some local authorities to cooperate with the Agency to protect the environment for all. It is evident that these foreigners are hosted by some community members ‘’ a Police officer in the region told PR last evening.
