Magistrate Bangura Slams 15 Years Jail Term On Pedophile

By Fatima Sesay

Justice Santigie Ibrahim Sorie Bangura of the High Court in Kono has sentenced Ibrahim Bockarie to fifteen years imprisonment to the male correctional facility in Kono, after he was found guilty of sexually penetrating a 14 years old girl child.

The defendant was before the court on one count charge of sexual penetration on a child contrary to Section 19 of the sexual offences Act 2012, Act No 12 of 2012 as repealed and replaced by section 4 (a) (iii) of the Sexual Offences amendment Act, 2019 Act No.8 of 2019

According to the indictment, the convict, on the 22nd of February 2025 at the Kono Judicial District, in the Eastern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone, engaged in an act of sexual penetration with a girl under the age of eighteen years, to wit: fourteen years old

The State Prosecutor, Charles Foday Sesay Esq., told the bench that the convict has no previous criminal record against him, While the Defence Counsel, Alpha Osman Kamara Esq, in his plea of mitigation, said the defendant is a first time offender and a younger man with the character and opportunity to reform himself, and in that light, pleaded with the Judge to temper Justice with mercy by considering the minimum sentence.

Justice Bangura, in his ruling, said that he has considered the allocutus of the convict and plea of mitigation on behalf of the defendant, especially, the fact that the convict has not wasted the court’s time, but maintained that the conduct of the defendant is one that is despicable, furthering that in order to continue their effort to curb the menace of sexual abuse of children in society, they have to continued to take culprits to task. He therefore sentenced the convict herein to fifteen years imprisonment.