By Francess Wright
The Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police has issued a warrant for the arrest of Hallie Chokpelleh, a 32-year-old man, for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Freetown.
According to CSP Fatmata Daboh-Kamara, the Director of the Family Support Unit, the warrant was issued following a preliminary investigation into the case. The investigation was escalated to the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters after the survivor’s mother raised concerns about delays in the handling of the case.
CSP Daboh- Kamara reported that the incident was first reported to the Family Support Unit at the Calaba town police station in December 2022. The victim has since received a medical examination.
The police are actively searching for Hallie Chokpelleh, who is the girl’s uncle and has been on the run since the crime was uncovered. Efforts are underway to locate him, including the issuance of the arrest warrant. Daboh- Kamara emphasised that the police are committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice for his actions against the girl.
In an interview, the mother of the 16-year-old survivor, who is also a journalist and an advocate for women’s and girls’ rights, expressed her devastation at the shocking discovery. She revealed that for more than a year, her daughter had been writing her notes that suggested she was experiencing distress or abuse, though the specifics were not clear.
The mother stated, “Over time, I suspected that something was wrong, as my daughter frequently expressed feelings of worthlessness and mentioned suicidal thoughts in her letters. Despite my attempts to encourage her to open up, she didn’t share the full extent of her struggles.”
Her daughter continued to write similar notes until the night of December 17, 2022, when the mother entered her daughter’s bedroom and checked her mobile device. There, she found inappropriate WhatsApp messages from Chokpelleh, coercing the girl to sneak into his bedroom for sexual activities and using inappropriate language. The mother described this discovery as “disgusting and traumatic.”
“I know the catastrophic and lasting impact this will have on my daughter’s life,” she said, visibly upset.
She added that when she tried to seek help that morning, Chokpelleh fled the house in the presence of his other siblings, while her husband, who had come home that morning, entered the room to put on his sneakers to go with the suspect to the police station. “I feel disappointed and betrayed by my husband’s entire family; I believe they aided his escape,” the mother emphasised.
“While I wanted to shout for help, I was worried about the stigma that this would bring to my daughter in our community,” she continued. “I advocate for other children, yet here I am, struggling to ensure that my daughter’s abuser is held accountable. I don’t believe the police are doing enough to apprehend him,” she lamented.
