By Fatima Kpaka
Sierra Leone – March 2026: Justice Bawoh of the High Court in Freetown has ordered the release of 24-year-old Kadija Kamara, who had spent 11 months in custody after being convicted of office breaking and larceny.
Kamara was charged under Section 27(2) of the Larceny Act of 1916 for breaking into the office of Alfisher Investment Company on April 21, 2025, with intent to steal. The items taken included two canned drinks valued at Le60 and one foil food worth Le100, totaling Le160.
During court proceedings, defense counsel Yanshim Esq. pleaded for leniency, noting that Kamara was a single mother of a two-year-old child, a first-time offender, and had already spent nearly a year in custody. He argued that her guilty plea was a sign of remorse and requested that the court consider time served as sufficient punishment.
In her own plea, Kamara expressed regret and asked for mercy, explaining that she had been left by her boyfriend to pay for food items without having money. She promised never to commit such an offence again.
Justice Bawoh, in his ruling, acknowledged the seriousness of the offence but emphasized that Kamara had already learned her lesson during her time in custody. He therefore sentenced her to the period already served, effectively granting her release.
The matter was prosecuted by R.B. Harleston and A.B.N. Taylor Kamara.