Prior to tendering of the accused person’s statement to court, the witness intimated that, he is attached to Criminal Investigation Department branch at Ross Road Police Division, but he was initially attached to the anti-robbery unit, Freetown West.
He further intimated police that he recognized accused on 7 January 2015, and on the aforementioned date he was on duty at his anti-robbery unit, when the charge sheets for the accused were allocated to him and DPC 857 Kanu for further interview in respect of murder, conspiracy and robbery with aggravation charges brought against them.
According to him, he cautioned and questioned 1st accused in Krio, and made responses to him in Krio, which he recorded in English, and the conclusion of the interview statement, he then read it over to accused, which he accepted to be true and correct, and signed the statement in his own hand writing.
Recapitulating 1st accused, Solomon Gondi’s statement to police, he told police that, he was a security night guard and was working together with deceased, Daniel Kamara, (alias Poison), 2nd accused, Hector Sesay including other OSD officers attached, to the residence of a Lebanese businessman, at 8 Beckley Lane, Tengbeh Town.
He explained that, on the night of the incident, he went to buy airtime at a nearby retail shop, owned by a guy called, Dominic as he wanted to talk to his concubine Hannah, stating that, after making the call, he returned to designated location in the compound.
Accused also told police that, few hours later unknown gunmen dressed in plain cloth, with masked faces, forcefully entered their location at 8 Beckley Lane, grabbed deceased, hit him on his head with a gun, before they eventually shot him dead, and fled the compound.
Whiles, the armed robbers were on the spree at their compound, he explained, he hid in the middle of some empty crates, where he sustained injury on his toe, and could not remembered their faces or substantiate the number of unknown armed robbers that entered their location.
He further informed police that he could not also tell whether, deceased was asleep, when the armed robbers entered their location, and did not see them with a gun, but that, he later heard gunshot in compound, and after they had left, he came out of his hibernation, and disappointedly saw deceased lying dead, in the pool of his own blood in compound hut.
As a result of this, he said, he left the scene and later sought refuge at nearby church, before police officers went to scene of crime took photos of deceased, and other areas of police interest, and he was invited to police in respect of charges preferred against them.
At this stage, lead State Prosecutor, Joseph Sesay requested for an adjournment, so as to enable him properly arraigned four more prosecution witnesses, who are to testify on next adjourned date.
It will be recalled that, Solomon Gbondi and Hector Sesay were alleged to have conspired with unknown individuals to robbed and murder, Daniel Kamara of the Operations Support Division, the armed unit of the Sierra Leone Police Force, on 1 January 2015, at 8 Beckley Lane Tengbeh Town, in the west part of the country’s capital Freetown.
Justice Monfred Sesay ordered for all accused persons to be remanded at the Male Correction Centre in Freetown, and adjourned the matter to Wednesday 30, November 2016.
