A sixth witness, Alusine Conteh, a police officer attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), has testified in the ongoing murder trial of six individuals accused of killing James Conteh, also known as James Okeke.
The accused—Hassan Kamara alias “Shine Face,” Fatmata Turay, Brima Kamara, Brima Tarawally, Abubakarr Kamara, and Samuel—appeared before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown for their sixth court appearance.
They face two charges under Section 4 of the Offenses Against the Person Act of 1861 for allegedly conspiring and murdering James Conteh.
During his testimony, Officer Conteh revealed that on Monday, March 4, 2024, he received a case file related to the murder, which contained five photographs of the crime scene, along with the voluntary statements of the first, second, and third accused persons.
The file also included physical evidence such as a black-handled shovel, a pair of black trousers, old black plastic sandals, and an Android mobile phone containing footage of the murder.
The officer confirmed that all these exhibits were handed over to the exhibit clerk and were presented and tendered in court to form part of the court record.
Conteh further testified that, accompanied by Detective Police Constable Koroma J.P. and family members of the deceased, he visited the alleged crime scene. There, additional photographs were taken, and they observed bloodstains near an old grave site covered in broken slabs.
Upon returning to the police station, the witness and his team, along with family members of the deceased, proceeded to the mortuary, where the remains of James Conteh were shown to them.
An autopsy request was submitted to the Scientific Support Unit for examination, and this request was also tendered in court.
Magistrate Kekura adjourned the case to September 13, 2024, for further cross-examination and remanded the accused persons at the Male and Female Correctional Centers.
