Magistrate Kekura of the Ross Road Court No.1 has sent a Cloudnight Security guard on remand, Peter Mattia to the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in Freetown for allegedly breaking into Mohamed Juldeh Bah’s, store situated at Highway, Jui Highway, in the Western Rural district, and stole from there Six Thousand United States Dollars ($6,000), equivalent to Thirty Thousand New Leones (NLe30, 000) among other valuables worth thousands of Leones.
Peter Mattia who was arrested 13 July 2023 by Detective Police Constable DPC 10201 Kpaka C., appeared before Magistrate Kekura on two counts charges of store breaking and larceny and malicious damage, contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
It was alleged by the Inspector General of Police that the accused, on Monday 3 July 2023 at Hastings Highway in the Western Area Rural district of the Republic of Sierra Leone and allegedly stole Five Hundred Sixty United States Dollars ($5,60) equivalent to Eighty-Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty-One Leones (NLe88,451) and Twenty-Eight Thousand Leones (NLe28,000) belonging to the complainant, Mohamed Juldeh Bah.
The charge sheet furthered that the accused, on the same date and place on the outskirts, maliciously damaged the complainant’s shop door, padlocks worth thousands of Leones.
Led in evidence by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) who doubles as the head of prosecution team at the aforesaid court, prosecution witnesses (PW)1, Mohamed Juldeh Bah in his evidence told the court that he recognised accused as security guard he hired from Cloudnight Security company to mann his shop. He recalled Monday 13 July 2023.
PW 1 disclosed that on the said date, he was at between the hours of 8am and 9am, when he received a call from his younger brother, Ibrahim Bah, who gave him information about the said incident.
The witness said upon receiving the information, he instantly left for the crime scene at Hastings Highway, adding that upon his arrival, he observed that his shop door was damaged, two padlocks was also damaged and he saw a hammer at the crime scene.
At that juncture, the police prosecutor ASP Osman M. Bangura sought for an adjournment for him to have proper conference with his witness application which was granted.
The accused was denied bail and sent on remanded at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in Freetown.
Meanwhile, the matter was adjourned to 2 August 2023 for further hearing.
