By Elkass Sannoh
Honourable Justice Jamesina King, Appeal Court Judge presiding over cases at the Sexual Offences Model Court (SOMC) has sentenced one 41-year-old Ibrahim Sesay, a tailor by occupation, to 15 years imprisonment and also ordered compensation of Le10,000,000 (Ten Million Leones) for sexually penetrating and impregnating a 12-year-old pupil.
Sesay was before the Court on a one count indictment of sexual penetration. The particulars of offence stated that the convict on a date unknown between the 1st to the 30th June 2017 sexually penetrated the victim somewhere around Lumley in the West end of Freetown.
The victim in her evidence in chief, affirmed that it was the convict who impregnated her during the month of Ramadan in 2017.
According to her, the incident took place when her aunt asked her to spend 2 nights in the convict’s room because her uncle had wanted to sleep in her aunt’s room and there was not enough room for all of them.
Accused Sesay also proposed to teach the victim and her two friends how to perform prayers.
5th prosecution witness, Dr. Olabisi Cole, from Rainbo Centre, told the court that the victim’s hymen was ruptured, adding that they found out that the victim was nine (9) weeks pregnant.
After the close of the Prosecution’s case, the defence opened its case leading in evidence two witnesses including the convict in support of their case. The defence challenged the medical report, citing inconsistency in the dates in the report admitted to by the Doctor as an error which did not affect her findings.
The convict vehemently denied the allegations against him and said he was innocent.
After reviewing the totality of the evidence, Hon. Justice King concluded that the victim was a child.
While she stressed that the victim was consistent in her entire evidence, Justice King referenced the medical report which affirmed that the child had a ruptured hymen and that an ultrasound scan proved that she was pregnant.
In his allocutus, accused Sesay said he was innocent.
Delivering her Judgment Hon. Justice King convicted Ibrahim Sesay for the offence and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. She further ordered that a compensation of ten million Leones be paid by the convict immediately or within 5 years after his release.
Justice King also ordered the Ministries of Social Welfare and Gender and Children’s Affairs to provide care for victim and her child and to also protect their identities.
