School Going Pupil Discharged for Murder
By Dauda Koroma
Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road Court No.1 has on Wednesday 18th October 2023, discharged the murder case of Musa Dumbuya involving a 21-year-old Salamatu Conteh a school going pupil.
The accused Salamatu Conteh was standing trial before the court on a count charge of murder contrary to section 1 of the offences against the persons Act 1816, as repealed and replaced by the abolition of the death penalty Act No 6 of 2022.
According to the indictment, the accused on Sunday 16th July 2023, at No. 28 Sumalia Town Freetown murdered her uncle Musa Dumbuya. According to brief fact of the matter, the deceased Musa Dumbuya was assaulted by the accused Salamatu Conteh and as a result he sustained stabbed wound on the left side close to his chest and was rushed to the government Connaught hospital where he was pronounced dead. The matter was charged to court on the 12th September 2023 and since then the factual witnesses have not avail themselves in court only the formal witness (police). The prosecutor Inspector Mabel Tarawally told the court that they have made several efforts to reach the complainant who happens to be the wife of the deceased but to no avail. The prosecutor informed the court further that they have called her several times on the phone and in turn promise to come but she never did. She added that, it is as if they do not want to proceed with the matter since the accused is their relative and niece to the deceased.
Since the inception of the matter in court, no witness had testified, even the formal witness the police that the prosecution came with on the last adjourned date did not testify.
Magistrate Ngegba before discharging the matter had caution the prosecution to come with their factual witnesses and not formal witness for such offence and because the factual witnesses failed to come to court after several adjournments, Magistrate Ngegba has discharged the accused for want of prosecution. The accused was in jubilant mood when she was discharged for alleged murder of her uncle Musa Dumbuya. She made seven appearances before the court before the matter was discharged. Lawyer Smith was representing the accused in court.
