The village Alkalo of Banjaka village in the Western Region, Malick Camara, yesterday 25 Febuary 2010 appeared before Justice Moses Richards of the Special Criminal Court in
Mr. Camara was called by Senior State Counsel M Abodoulli as the first prosecution witness in the trial of six Banyaka youths charged with the murder of one Ansu Bojang on 18 September 2002.
The six accused persons namely, Ansumana Camara, Haruna Camara, Yuspha Sanneh, Suwaibou Colley, Abdou Camara and Sanna Camara all pleaded not guilty at yesterday's court sitting.
In his evidence-in-chief, Alkalo Camara told the court that he recognised all the accused persons in the dock, some of whom happen to be his brothers, biological son, and grand children, and that he could recall what happened on 18 September 2002.
During the night of the day in question, he said, some people knocked at his door, and it happened to be Ansumana Camara and Sediou Camara, among a crowd of people.
He was informed by the two, he told the court, that a thief was apprehended. Then he asked for him (the thief), and flashed a torch-light on him on the ground, and lifted him up and examined his body. He said he could see some marks of lashes on his body.
"Then I instructed my younger brother, Sanna Camara, to call the police at Tujereng, but they could not be reached. And I asked them to rescue the man from the mob to the police station," Alkalo Camara added.
According to him, the following morning, Sanna told him that the man had died on their way to the police station, but some withdrew on the way as a result.
He adduced that after seeing the corpse of the man, he instructed Sanna Camara to take the corpse to the Turjereng P{olice Station.
He said after a while, police arrived at the scene and took away the corpse to Tujereng Police Station along with the six accused persons. He said he was told to report the following day.
Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, LS Camara, he admitted that in 2002 theft cases were very rampant in the village, and revealed that even the imam's heads of cattle were stolen.
He also said the accused persons rescued the deceased from the mob.
Also testifying for the prosecution was one Demba Saidy, a police officer attached to the Major Crime Unit of the police force.
He told the court that he obtained the voluntary and cautionary statements from the fourth and fifth accused persons in front of an independent witness.
The statements were marked as exhibits without any objection from the defence counsel.
Hearing continues on the 2nd and 5th of March 2010.
