According to the particulars of the offence, Abubakar Mansaray stands accused of receiving the sum of twenty three million, eight hundred and thirty one thousand leones from the complainant, Haja Fatmata Sillah on the pretext of securing her United States of America Visa, knowing to be fake.
Led in evidence by the head of the police prosecuting team, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Raymond Dunia, the witness, Lansana Kanneh disclosed that he is a Detective Police Constable attached to the Crime Writers Office, at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Freetown.
He told the court that he is responsible for the recording of exhibits brought to his office, and recalled August 19, 2014, adding that , on the day in question, he was on duty, when a police sergeant, Turay .E , attached to the Crime Prevention and Syndicate Unit of the CID approached him with the following exhibits.
Detective Police Constable Lansana Kanneh further disclosed that the items included; one Sierra Leonean passport book, bearing the name and photo of Patrick Williams, application form for immigrant visa, one national identity card, one air ticket bearing the name of Mabinty Kamara, one document relating to the United States of America diversity visa and a letter of acceptance, 2012 diversity visa programme.
The witness explained that he took possession of the exhibits, recorded it in the court exhibits book, marked; exhibit 144-15 and it has since been in the custody of the police.
The accused person is charged with the offence of obtaining money by false pretences, contrary to the Section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act of 1916, of the laws of Sierra Leone.
The accused person had no legal representation and was remanded at the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown on the orders of the presiding Magistrate, Komba Kamanda.
The matter comes up again on December 2, 2015.
In a separate development, Magistrate Serray Wurie of Court No.6 in Freetown has remanded Tom Kamara at the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown, for the offence of disorderly behavior, contrary to Section 12, of the Public Order Act, N0.46 of 1965, as amended and replaced by Section 12 (a) of Act N0.15 of 1973.
In his testimony to the court, Police Sergeant 90932, attached to the Criminal Investigation Department branch, at the Central Police Division in Freetown recalled on November 8, 2015.
He said on the above date, he was on duty at the CID’s branch at the Central Police Division, when the complainant, Abdulai Kamara arrived at the division and reported a case of disorderly behavior against the accused person.
The witness further explained that police Sgt Manneh, including him visited the crime scene at Hardwick Street in Freetown, and on upon their arrival, they met the accused person conducting himself in a disorderly manner, thereby breaching the amended and the replaced Sections of the 1965 Public Order Act, of the laws of Sierra Leone.
He said, the accused person was very insolent, way ward, and even attempted to resisted arrest, and in the process, damaged one of the fingers of the arresting police officers, SGT Manneh.
He also stated that, the accused person was eventually arrested at a ghetto within the community, and brought down to the Central Police Division, where a voluntary caution statement was obtained from him in respect of the offence charged.
At the conclusion of their interview, he concluded, they charged the accused person with offence of Disorderly Behavior contrary to Section 12 of the Public Order Act N0.46 of 1965, as amended and replaced by Section 12 (a) of Act N0.15 of 1973 of the laws of Sierra Leone.
