By: Edrie Caleb John
Former Police Officer Abubakarr Yillah has made another appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No. 2 for allegedly killing his police colleague with a pistol.
As proceedings continued, the prosecution called its witness to testify. Witness Sergeant 8576 Issa Kamara, who resides at Grafton Police Barracks and is attached to the exhibit office at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters in Freetown, took the stand.
The witness recognized the accused as a former police officer and described his role and responsibilities in ensuring the safe keeping of all exhibits related to matters that have been investigated and charged in court.
In his testimony, he recalled that on November 22, 2023, Sergeant 8826 Konneh S.M., attached to the Homicide Syndicate, handed over several items as exhibits: five empty bullet shells, two shrapnel pieces, one fired canister, one old NP pistol, and two magazines containing fourteen live rounds each. The witness registered these items under serial number 129/2024. He added that since then, the items have been in police custody. The exhibits were produced and tendered in court to form part of the court records, specifically: five empty bullet shells marked as exhibits H1-5, two shrapnel pieces marked as exhibits J1-2, the fired canister marked as exhibit K, the NP pistol marked as exhibit L, and the two magazines marked as exhibit M1-30.
Counsel representing the accused, Sahid Sesay Esq., conducted a cross-examination of the witness. The witness confirmed the exhibits were handed over on November 22, 2024. When asked about the magazines, the witness stated he could not confirm their exact capacity but noted they contained fourteen bullets. He also indicated that he did not receive any vehicle in relation to the matter and confirmed that he knew the accused as a police officer and a friend. The witness stated he did not visit the crime scene, as his role was solely to keep the exhibits.
The accused was arraigned before the court on one count of murder, contrary to Section 1 of the Offenses Against the Person Act of 1861, as repealed and replaced by Section 1(a) of the Schedule of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act of 2021, Act No. 6 of 2022. The charge sheet indicated that the accused, on Wednesday, August 13, 2022, at Yana Village in the Tambakh Chiefdom, Karene District, murdered Fasineh Bangura.
The accused was remanded, and the matter was adjourned to October 4, 2024.
