Child offender sentenced to 4 years imprisonment

Ibrahim Bockarie now 17 years of age from Lalehun Kovuma village in the Kailahun District has been sentenced for manslaughter by the high court judge Hon. Ernest Gooding of the high court in Kenema.

According to the particulars of offence, the accused on the 19 July 2012 at Lalehunkovuma village, Njaluahun chiefdom, Kailahun judiciary district in the eastern province of the Republic of Sierra Leone unlawfully killed one Wuya Morie.

The accused was charged to court for an offence of manslaughter contrary to law. He pleaded guilty and begged for mercy.

In passing judgment, Justice Gooding told the court that he accused had pleaded guilty to manslaughter which is extremely serious but “I take into consideration your age and the time of the conviction of the offence i.e. 14 years though you told the police you were only 11 years old.”

“The accused was on a kindergarten love relationship that went tragically wrong,” he added.

I am also told that the deceased died at the age of 12 years old. The accused was said to have shown remorse, and the learned judge took in to consideration the tender years and that the accused did not waste court time, adding that the victim may have died of other illness not condoning his act of having sexual intercourse with the child and he sentenced him to four and half years imprisonment.

The accused was represented by defense council Simeon Koroma while the State was represented by Aiah S. Alieu.

In another development, a teacher Dominic Moinina Lahai, aged 48 years of Kortuhun Village was arrested by DPC 8814 Koroma.K. and committed to High Court by Magistrate Alhaji Sulaiman Koroma of the Magistrate Court in Kenema for sexual penetration.

The accused on Sunday 15^th March 2015 at Kortuhun Village Lower Bambara chiefdom Kenema judiciary district in the Eastern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone engaged in an act of sexual penetration with a girl under the age of 18 years towit 17 years.

The accused was later granted bail in the sum of Le 20M, and two sureties while the matter was committed to High Court for further trial.

The matter was prosecuted by Sgt. 4938 Laundeh attached to the Legal and Justice support Department at the Kenema police station.

By Lamin Kamara in Kenema

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