Kenema Farmer Jailed 8 Years for Defiling Seven-Year-Old Girl

The High Court in Kenema delivered two contrasting rulings today, sentencing a farmer to eight years in prison for the sexual penetration of a minor while discharging another accused person due to a lack of prosecution.

Before His Lordship, Hon. Justice Abdul Sheriff, the court convicted Bobor Alfred, a farmer from Jumu Kafabu Village in the Nongowa Chiefdom. Alfred was arraigned on a charge of Sexual Penetration of a child, contrary to Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act No. 12 of 2012, as repealed and replaced by Section 4(a)(iii) of the Sexual Offences Amendment Act No. 8 of 2019.

The charges, read by Court Registrar Thomas S. Sam, stated that the accused did, on September 30, 2025, at Jumu Kafabu village in the Kenema Judicial District, engage in an act of sexual penetration with a seven-year-old child.

In a dramatic turn, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for mercy. He was represented by Defence Counsel Patrick Kamara of the Legal Aid Board, who presented a plea in mitigation urging the court to temper justice with mercy.

However, in his judgment, Hon. Justice Abdul Sheriff emphasized the gravity of the offense, particularly highlighting the vulnerable age of the victim. Balancing the guilty plea with the severity of the crime, the Judge sentenced Bobor Alfred to a term of eight years’ imprisonment. The convict will serve his sentence at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre (SLCC) in Kenema.

In a separate matter, 19-year-old Ganawa Sesay, a resident of Lango Town Layout in Kenema, was also arraigned before the same court. Sesay faced a single count of Larceny in a Dwelling House, contrary to Section 13(a) of the Larceny Act of 1916.

The court heard that on July 22, 2025, the defendant allegedly entered the dwelling house of Bishop Sahr Fillie with the intent to steal. It is alleged he stole one unregistered black Star motorbike, valued at Twenty-Four Thousand New Leones (NLe 24,000), which was the property of Tamba Prince Kondeh.

Mr. Sesay pleaded not guilty to the charge. Following the arraignment, the prosecution, led by State Counsel Andrew F. Kamara, was unable to produce a witness to proceed with the case. As a result of the failure to bring forward a witness since the inspection of the matter, Hon. Justice Abdul Sheriff discharged the defendant for want of prosecution.

Both cases were prosecuted by Andrew F. Kamara, State Counsel and Customary Law Officer in Kenema.