By Fatmata Jengbe
After spending sometime in remand failing to fulfill his stiff bail conditions, Leader of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP), Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray, was found guilty by Judge Samuel Omodale Taylor, at the Appeals Court of grooming and having sex with a 15-year old school girl.
According to the prosecution, Kamarainba with the aid of co-accused Marion Aruni, said to be the girl’s aunty, had sex with the 15-year old school girl on Valentine’s Day – 14th February 2020 in Koidu, Kono.
Count 1- 15 years
Count 2- 15 years
Count 3- 15 years
Count 4 -15 years
Count 5 – 15 years
Count 6 – 2 years
Count 7 – 2 years
Count 8 – 15 years
Using the above formula the 1st accused was found guilty in Counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8= 15 years to run concurrently .Guilty in Counts 6 and 7 = 2 years each, to run concurrently. Therefore, the 1st accused is sentenced to 17 years
With regards the 2nd accused, she was found guilty in Counts 1 and 8 and sentenced to 15 years each to run concurrently. Therefore the 2nd accused was sentenced to 15 years
Taking the sentencing guidelines into consideration, the court has been extremely fair with the accused.
In Justifying their sentences the following was used:
1) 12- 17 years – the sentence range is 5 to 10 years and should not exceed 10
2) 18 – 23 years – the sentence is minimum of 10 years and can attract Life imprisonment
3). 23 – above-the sentence range is minimum of 15 years and same can attract Life Imprisonment.
So, his sentence is either dominated by huge mitigating factors or the Hon. Judge took other essential factors into consideration.
The ADP leader – Kamarainba Mansaray who was unable to attend most of the court hearing due to health reasons, which is believed to be prostate cancer related may serve a minimum of 15 years in jail, at the end of which he would be almost 70 years old.
Second defendant Marion Aruni was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy and aiding and abetting, and was sentenced to 15 years each, to run concurrently.
As both convicts have already served three years in jail after their arrest in 2020, Kamarainba may spend about 12 years in jail in total for grooming and having sex with a 15-year old school girl on Valentine’s Day in 2020 in Kono, Eastern Sierra Leone.
