Mohamed Obai Koroma 31, who has spent two years five months on remand at the Male Correctional Centre on Pa Demba Road in Freetown, has on finally pleaded guilty to the offence of robbery with violence, contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
Having him pleaded guilty, Justice Monfred Sesay, who presided over the matter at the High Court of Sierra Leone, sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment.
The convict appeared before the court on a count of robbery with violence contrary to Section 23 (1) (b) of the Larceny Act 1916, as repealed and replaced by Section 2 of the Imperial Statue Criminal Law Adoption Amendment Act, Act No.16 of 1971.
State counsel, A. Jalloh alleged that the accused, on the 20 January 2020, at Tombo Lorry Park, Waterloo in the Western Rural District robbed Mohamed Bah off his Tecno mobile phone, valued at Five Hundred Thousand Leones (Le500, 000.00) and physical cash of at the sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Leones (Le750, 000.00) all to the total value of One Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Leones (Le1,250,000.00), adding that immediately after such robbery, he used personal violence against Mohamed Bah.
The State prosecutor A. Jalloh told Justice Sesay that the complainant was a motor driver, who resided at Kossoh Town, also in the Western Rural District; saying that on the 20 January 2020, around 8:30pm his vehicle developed faulty at Tombo Lorry Park.
He said when the complainant was trying to fix his vehicle, the convict together with an unknown person violently attacked him and carted away his phone and took money from his pocket.
Mr Jalloh told that after the robbery, the convict pushed the complainant and ran away, but the complainant chased him and got him arrested, adding that the convict alleged that he had handed over the money to the unknown person.
He noted that the complainant later reported the matter to the Waterloo Police Division, where he made a statement to the police.
Defence counsel lawyer Randy S. Bangura from Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone representing the convict made a plea of mitigation on behalf of the convict.
Delivering his ruling, Justice Sesay said since commencement of the matter, the prosecutor made an application for the matter to be tried by judge alone, which was granted.
Justice Sesay sentenced Mohamed Obai Koroma 31 to two years imprisonment concerning the time he had spent on remand and advised him to be in good conduct.
