At the Main Law Courts Building in Freetown County on September 3, 2023, Supreme Court Judge, Honourable Justice Nicholas C. Brown-Marke, discharged Aminata Sankoh due to a lack of prosecution.
Aminata Sankoh had been summoned to answer for three charges: Wounding with Intent, Causing Grievous Bodily Harm, and Wounding, as outlined in the Offences Against the Person Act, 1861. These charges stemmed from an incident on September 24, 2019, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where Aminata Sankoh was accused of causing harm to Ali Kamara with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm.
Justice Nicholas C. Brown-Marke, who was among the two Supreme Court Judges and 21 Justices of the Superior Court of Judicature appointed by Chief Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards for the Access to Justice Through Judicial Week, not only supervised but also presided over cases to ensure the success of the UNDP-supported JUDICIAL WEEK.
Before delivering his judgment, Justice Brown-Marke pointed out that even if Aminata Sankoh had been convicted under Section 5(2) of the Offences Against the Person Act, 1861, the maximum sentence would have been five years, and she might have been released soon with good behavior. Therefore, he decided to discharge her for lack of prosecution.
In a similar manner, Justice Brown-Marke also discharged Sahr Komba, who had been in custody for three years with no complainant pursuing the case. Sahr Komba was facing charges of Embezzlement by Servant under Section 17(1)(b) of the Larceny Act, 1916.
