By Elizabeth Kamara
Twenty-three-year-old Alhaji Sawaneh, a fisherman, has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment by Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens at the Sexual Offences Court No. 7, Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown.
Sawaneh was standing trial on one count of sexual penetration, contrary to Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act 2012 (Act No. 12 of 2012) as repealed and replaced by Section 4(a)(ii) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019 (Act No. 8 of 2019).
According to the particulars of the offence, on July 19, 2023, in Freetown, Sawaneh engaged in an act of sexual penetration with a child below the age of 18. The victim was only four years old at the time of the incident.
When the charge was read and explained to the accused, he pleaded guilty. He was not legally represented and pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy.
In delivering his sentence, Justice Stevens described the act as one of “wickedness,” stressing that the victim, being just a child, should have been nurtured and protected.
The judge noted the accused’s youth and encouraged him to make use of the vocational training available at the correctional facility. He also advised Sawaneh to avoid any contact with the victim upon release.
Taking into account the guilty plea and the fact that the accused did not waste the court’s time, Justice Stevens sentenced him to ten years imprisonment at the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown.
