Waterloo, Sierra Leone – July 4, 2025 – In a significant step toward enhancing access to justice, High Court Judge Hon. Justice Hannah Bonnie has acquitted and discharged thirty-four (34) inmates during a special Prison Court session held at the Waterloo Correctional Centre.
The session, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), reviewed the cases of sixty-one (61) inmates.
The initiative is part of Chief Justice Komba Kamanda’s broader reforms to fast-track justice delivery, especially for inmates who have faced prolonged detentions without indictment, as well as those who are aged or suffering from mental health challenges.
Among those released were three women, including two who had been convicted of larceny by magistrate courts in Waterloo and York.
The offenses across the cases reviewed ranged from throwing missiles and receiving stolen goods to fraudulent conversion and wounding.
Several inmates expressed remorse and appealed to Justice Bonnie for a second chance. “Mummy, we know we did wrong. We were convicted rightly, but we’ve learned our lesson and want to be better citizens,” said one inmate.
A female inmate convicted of larceny also tearfully pleaded for mercy, explaining that poverty had driven her to act out of desperation.
“Stealing is not part of my DNA. I had no other choice—my children were starving,” she said.
While acknowledging their pleas, Justice Bonnie emphasized that their actions had legal and moral consequences, urging them to pursue lawful means of living and contribute meaningfully to society.
The judge also addressed administrative lapses, ordering that indictments be promptly served to seventeen inmates who have yet to receive formal charges. Additionally, she instructed magistrate courts in Waterloo and York to fast-track lingering cases, including those of Algasimu Sesay and Issa Kargbo, both charged with petty theft.
The session concluded with emotional expressions of gratitude from the inmates, who praised the judiciary’s intervention as a critical lifeline offering them renewed hope for reintegration.
