A former police officer Abubakarr Yillah on Friday, 20 September, 2024 made another appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No. 2 for alledgely killing someone with a pistol.

In his testimony, the witness Sergeant 8826 Sulaicin Mukeh Konneh attached to the homicide unit at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters Freetown said he recognized the accused as former police officer.

He recalled on Monday 18 July 2022 that he was on duty when he received a case of an alleged murder involving Fasineh Bangura, who had formerly stayed at Karena village.

He further said that statements were obtained from ghe complainants and witnesses.

Sergeant Konneh further said that on the 14 August 2022, a team of Police Detectives from CID HQ including himself visited the crime scene at Karene village, adding that a house-to-house enquiry was conducted and statements was obtained from different witnesses.

He said on the 19 December 2022 he contemporaneous interviewed the accused by observing the judges’ rules.

Konneh said prior to the accused interview, on 13 July 2022, a postmortem examination was conducted on the remains of the deceased Fasineh Bangura by the government pathology Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma and after the postmortem examination was done a photocopy of the result was handed over to the police and original exhibit was handed over to the family for proper burial.

The postmortem result was tendered and marked as exhibit A.

He said on Sunday 29 October, 2023 he retrieved one NP 18 pistol with serial number SL/SLP-14/13501896-123 from the Operational Support Division Co-coordinator North East Region Superintendent Kargbo and the pistol was entered as exhibit.

He further said that on the

30 October 2023, a request for ballistic examination was forwarded to the Cyber Unit for analysis.

He said on the 2 November 2023, he received a report from the Sierra Leone Commission of Small Arms in request of the said pistol.

He said on the 19 October 2023, he charged the accused with the offense of murder.

During cross examined by lead defense counsel Sahid Sesay Esq said the witness confirmed that he obtained voluntary caution statements from the accused before the progress reports was made against the accused.

He further confirmed that at the time he charged the accused with the offense of murder, he did not receive the request he had made to small arms commission.

The accused was remanded and the matter was adjourned to 27th September 2024.

The accused was arraigned before the court on one count charge of murder contrary to section 1 of the Offense against the Person’s Act of 1861as repeal and replace by section 1(a) to the schedule of the abolition of the D eath Penalty Act of 2021, Act no.6 of 2022.

The charge sheet indicated that the accused killed Fasineh Bangura on Wednesday 13th August, 2022 at Yana Village in the Tambakh chiefdom Karena district.