By Feima Sesay
Abu bakarr Mansaray, a disabled, has on UN Wednesday 18th September 2024, been sentenced to 12 years Imprisonment by the Acting Chief Justice, Nicholas Browne Mark, during the September Criminal session at the Freetown High Court after pleading guilty to the offence of killing his wife.
Convict Mansaray was arraigned before the court on a count charge of Manslaughter contrary to law.
The indictment stated that convict Mansaray on Thursday 24th December 2022 murdered Aminata Kamara.
When the charge was read and explained to him in an open court, the convict pleaded guilty to the offense and thereafter photos of the deceased were shown to him and he burst into tears regretting his actions.
State prosecutor S. T Kekura, in brief fact, informed the court that on Friday 23 December 2022 at 17:00 hours, the convict returned home from his normal activity as begger, adding that upon his arrival, he asked the deceased to take the items he bought on that day inside the house which she did.
State counsel further informed the court that the convict asked the deceased to prepare food for him but she refused and the convict later brought food and he called the deceased for them to eat together with his step son.
Counsel Kekura further explained that the convict after eating they went inside to sleep and the convict asked the deceased for sexual intercourse, but she refused and so the convict decided not to touch her.
He said on the 24TH December 2022, the convict again asked the deceased for sex which she refused and the convict started beating the deceased and she ran outside the house and started crying.
Lawyer Kekura furthered that a certain neighbors met her and advised the deceased to enter the house which she did and both the deceased and the convict started to quarrel and a military personnel intervened and took the deceased to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
The convict in his allocutus pleaded for mercy, adding that the deceased was his wife and he did not mean to kill her as he had not enjoyed anything since he married her Defense counsel R. Samba in his plea mitigation pleaded with the judge to temper justice with Mercy on the convict, adding that he was a first time offender of the law and had not wasted the court’s time.
The learned Chief Justice stated that it was not good for men to beat women, adding that he was going to sentence him to serve as a lesson for other men that may want to beat their wives.
He therefore sentenced him to twelve years imprisonment considering the time spent in prison.
