Two Robbery convicts to spend 11 years in jail

March 4, 2019

By Ibrahim K. Turay

Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens has on Friday (1^st March, 2019) convicted and sentenced Mohamed Mansaray and John Sesay to eleven years imprisonment each for robbery.

Mansaray and Sesay were before the court on three counts of conspiracy, robbery and larceny contrary to Section 23(2) of the Larceny Act of 1916.

The prosecution had alleged that the convicts on 10^th April, 2018, attacked and robbed the complainant of his properties and physical cash, all to the total value of seven million five hundred and forty thousand Leones.

Prior to the sentencing of the convict, State Prosecutor, Janneh B. Kamara, submitted that the charge which the convicts were standing trial for in the High court, was a very serious offense that warrant a sentencing of life imprisonment.

He disclosed to the court that one of the complainants in the matter was still suffering from injuries sustained during the attack, adding that the complainant might undergo possible amputation of the left foot, according to the medical report that was tendered in court.

He asked the judge to slam maximum sentence as recorded in Section 23(2) of the Larceny Act of 1916, which demands life imprisonment for anyone convicted under the said section.

In her plea of mitigation, Lawyer H. Dabor from the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board, pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy, as his clients have been very respectful and had shown some amount of remorse.

In his judgment, Justice Stevens said he has listened to both the prosecution and the defense and has taken into consideration the seriousness of the case, especially when the convicts used a machete and hit one of complainants during the attack.

He said the issue of robbery is on the increase in the country and that the police and the judiciary needed to step up effort to combat the menace.

“I hold that the prosecution had proved its case against the accused persons and are guilty on counts 1, 2, and 3 and I thereby sentence them to eleven years imprisonment each on count one, two and three,” he ruled.