January 9, 2019
By Yusufu S. Bangura
The presiding Magistrate at Freetown Court No.1, Santigie Bangura, yesterday (Tuesday, 8th January) convicted and sentenced one Randulf Bankolo Gibson to thirty-six months imprisonment or pay an alternative fine of Le1 million.
The convict, who wasted no time by pleading guilty as charged was arraigned before Magistrate Bangura on a count charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 47 of the Offenses Against the Persons Act of 1861.
Police Prosecutor, Sergeant 1462 A. Sesay, alleges that the accused person on Sunday 30th December, 2018, at Skye Street in Freetown, assaulted one Hadiatu Lima Johnson in a manner thereby occasioning her actual bodily harm.
In his plea of mitigation earlier on behalf of the convict, Defense Counsel Sahid Sesay, pleaded with the Bench to temper justice with mercy, especially when the convict did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty to the charge.
He told the court that the convict was a first time offender and that if given a second chance, he will not repeat the offence, thus pleading with the Bench not to impose custodian sentencing on the convict.
Magistrate Bangura, however, said he took into consideration the fact that the convict was a first time offender and did not waste the court’s time.
He ruled that the convict pays a fine of one million Leones and compensate Hadiatu Lima Johnson the sum of five hundred thousand Leones or serve a jail term of 36 months at the Freetown Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road.
Meanwhile, it remains unclear as to whether the convict paid the fine to avoid the jail term.