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Legal Aid secures 3 discharges from Ross Road Court


The Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board secured discharges for three accused persons who were standing trial at the Ross Road High Court on Tuesday, July 26. The accused persons were charged with very serious offences ranging from manslaughter to robbery with violence and wounding with intent.  
One of the accused, Sorie Sesay was charged with Manslaughter and had been in detention, most of the time on remand, since he was arrested on 13 June 2015 and taken to the Kissy Mess Mess Police Station for allegedly murdering one Ismael Turay of Wellington. The case against him was committed to the High Court in January 2016 were he made eleven appearances before his discharge.
Mohamed Conteh was charged with robbery with violence and had been on remand since his arrested in July 2015. He is alleged to have robbed one Fatmata Bunduka of valuables and money to the tune of five hundred thousand leones (Le500, 000). He was discharged after six appearances at the High Court.
Umaru Bangura on the other hand was charged with wounding with intent. He was accused of wounding one Fuad Conteh in a manner to do him grievous bodily harm. Umaru had been in detention following his arrested in June 2015. He was consequently charged to court and remanded at the Pademba Road Correctional Center until his release for want of prosecution.
The lawyers for the Legal Aid Board who were representing the accused persons had made an application for the discharge of the accused persons for want of prosecution. The Lawyers had argued that since the inception of the cases at the High Court no prosecution witness had testified against the accused. Justice Momoja Steven of the Ross Road High Court granted the application and the accused persons were discharged accordingly.

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has welcomed the discharges describing them as a key step towards promoting access to justice. ‘Keeping accused persons on remand without any prosecution witness to testify in their matter is a serious challenge to the justice delivery system,’ she said.   ‘Some complainants abandoned their cases no sooner the accused is detained and the matter is charged to court leaving the accused to endure endless adjournments. This is something the justice system should look at very seriously. It does not bode well for our human rights record.’

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