Osman Conteh who was arrested on 12 June 2023 by Detective Sergeant Mansaray has made his first appearance before Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Ross Road Court No. 1, for fraudulently converting a TVS motorbike, with Registration Number AUK 436, worth Fifteen Thousand New Leones (NLe15,000), a property of Abdulai Kanneh.
Osman Conteh, 29 who was residing at White House, Quarry, Kissy in the East of Freetown, is before the court on a count of fraudulent conversion contrary to law.
The police alleged that the accused, sometime in October 2022, at Newcastle Street, in Kissy Freetown, fraudulently converted the said motorbike to his own, which was entrusted in his charge by the complainant for commercial purposes.
Testifying in court, the Prosecution Witness (PW1), Abdulai Kanneh also of Newcastle Street, in the East of Freetown, informed the hearing that he recognised the accused as his rider, and recalled sometime in October 2022.
The witness said on that day, he was at home and where he handed over his TVS motorbike with aforesaid Registration Number to the accused for commercial purpose.
He said they agreed that the accused should make payments on weekly basis, but furthered that the accused only complied for twelve weeks.
Kanneh said since then the accused has been giving him unnecessary excuses in respect of arrangement made for payments on weekly basis.
According to him, he bought the said motorbike Twelve Thousand New Leones NLe12,000. That the life card of the motorbike was unavailable in the case file to form part of the court’s records, the police prosecutor, Constable 14032 Koroma Ekuyedayo F. sought for an adjournment for her witness to tender the life card of the motorbike on the next adjourned date. The application was granted and Magistrate Kekura denied the accused bail and sent him on remand at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in Freetown. The matter was adjourned to Wednesday 2 August 2023 for further hearing.
