May 10, 2018 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
Justice John Bosco Allieu, presiding at the Freetown High Court, has lamented over the pervasiveness of sexual molestation of girls in the country, urging that the court should take note of the scourge.
He also called on parents to pay more attention to girls.
Justice Allieu was Wednesday, May 9 speaking in court while sentencing one Sheku Alhaji Kamara, after his conviction for sexual penetration contrary to section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2012.
The prosecution had alleged that the convict, between 1st January and 21st August 2016, in Freetown, sexually penetrated the victim, aged 12.
The victim testified at the trial and narrated how she and her sibling had approached the convict to allow them and their friends play outside, but that the latter refused and asked them to go inside the house and study.
While in the study room, her sister went to bed and the convict entered the study room and took off the victim’s clothes and tried to penetrate her, but was interrupted when the sister returned to the study room, said the appellate court judge.
The judge also noted that the victim had further told the court that on a date unknown to her, the convict took her into his room, undressed and penetrated her, and that in the process she felt pain in her genitalia.
The judge said the second prosecution witness, who is the victim’s mother, told the court that she had brought the convict to Freetown from Pepel Village in Port Loko District to help him further his education in the city.
The judge said the mother had testified in court that she entered the victim’s room one night and found her lying naked and that when she checked her in the morning she confirmed she had been deflowered.
Justice Alliue said Dr. Matilda King at the Rainbow Centre also testified that during her examination of the victim, she discovered that the hymen of the victim was completely ruptured.
In his judgement, the learned trial judge concluded that the prosecution led enough evidence and proved their case beyond all reasonable doubt, and that he found the convict guilty as charged under the country’s Sexual Offences Act of 2012.
He described the action of the convict as ‘total wickedness’ as the family of the victim meant well for him when they accepted him into their family with plans to help him acquire tertiary education, but that the only way the convict chose to show appreciation was by penetrating their daughter.
He thus sentenced the convict to ten years imprisonment.