On Friday, 11 October, 2024, significant progress made in a high-profile murder matter of Sia Fatu Kamara, before Justice Momoh Jah Stevens at High Court No.1 Siaka Steven Street Freetown, as cousin revealed scars on Sia’s corpse at mortuary.
The prosecuting counsel, Yusif Isaac Sesay and team has made another progress as it led in its third witness to a testament of Abdul Kpaka’s alleged murder trial.
Prosecution witness number three Christian Martin Kamara, a cousin of late Sia, of 179 Black Hall Road Kissy, east of Freetown, acknowledged that he knew the deceased Sia Fatu Kamara as his cousin and the accused as Sia’s boyfriend, and laborated on 13 August 2024, what transpired on the above date
In his testimony said, Kamara disclosed that he received several missed calls from his phone from a younger brother and other family members reporting the death of Sia, which he then enquired to Raymond Bami Caulker about their present location, when directed he decided to wait for them at Beach Road while heading for Virtues Funeral Home.
He further narrated that he was present at the scene with Sylvester Patrick Kamara, Raymond Bami Caulker together with the accused and other family members.
After the Manager Princess Wilson, unwrapped the corpse in front of them to check for jewelleries, “it so devastating at that moment to see my cousin Sia the deceased, her upper lip was cut with a reddish mark on her temple, bruises around her chest with nails bruise and a cut in her ankle”. He said, that led him to burst into tears, and a photograph was taken by the manager.
They stood aside and discuss what could had caused her death is totally different of what they saw they then put a stop for an embalmed process.
According to him, they involved the police at Central Police Station, but they were referred to Adonkai Police Station, due to the deceased residence address. So they return to the funeral home and planned where they told everyone to go home for a strategic family meeting, and three of them return to Adonkia Police Station and made a report. The police officers escorted them to the home of the deceased and met the accused sitting down, police arrested and took him to the Adonkai Police Station where he made statement and Silvester Patrick Kamara made a statement on behalf of the family.
He explained, on 14 August 2024, the case was transferred to Lumley Police Station, and we went there, so on 15 August, 2024 he went to Lumley Police Station, where a police officer Mr Amara decided to obtain statement from other people.
In cross examination, the defence counsel, Emmanuel Teddy Koroma, sent his sincere condolences to the bereaved family and he asked numerous question to the witness. Saying do you have any salutation with the accused? The witness said, yes, we have frequent salutation and discussed always but there are boundaries between us. He further asked the witness what he characterized has boundaries? Mr Kamara responded we can discuss academia but not relationships stuffs especially who is dating.
“The judge admonishes the court, according to the law as everything in bound in the law let there be no bail for the accused”.
Lawyer E. T. Koroma, made a submission to the judge about his client, not getting bail, and there should be documentation.
The Judge, responded that the court will provide every documentation, and he therefore, adjourned the matter to 18 October, 2024.
By FORUM News Court Monitor
