By Fatima Kpaka
Freetown, June 11, 2026: Lawyer Roland Wright has filed a 19‑ground appeal at the High Court in Freetown challenging the four‑year custodial sentence handed down to Yabu Zainab Sheriff by Principal Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah on 14 April 2026.
The appeal, heard before Justice Mark Ngegba at High Court No. 8, contests both the conviction and sentence, arguing that the trial was riddled with legal and procedural errors.
In his submissions, Wright contended that the Magistrate erred in law by failing to obtain Sheriff’s consent for a summary trial on incitement charges, as required by Section 6 of the Court Amendment Act of 1981. He further argued that no witnesses were called to testify, no recipient of the alleged incitement was identified, and that forwarding a private WhatsApp message to two contacts could not amount to public dissemination.
Wright also criticized the Magistrate for failing to clarify which election was referenced in the case, whether presidential, parliamentary, or local council, making the information “bad for uncertainty.” He maintained that the prosecution did not meet the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt, and that Sheriff was deprived of her constitutional right to a fair trial.
On sentencing, Wright described the four‑year term as “manifestly excessive” given that Sheriff is a first‑time offender of good character, with no violence, injury, or breach of peace involved in the case. He urged the court to set aside the conviction and sentence, acquit and discharge the appellant, or grant bail pending determination of the appeal.
Responding, State Counsel Ibrahim Tholley argued that the Notice of Appeal was “fundamentally defective,” failing to comply with Rule 3(1) of the Appeals from the Magistrate Court Act of 1969. He submitted that the High Court’s appellate jurisdiction is invoked by a valid notice, and that Wright’s filing lacked mandatory particulars, making it liable to be struck out.
Tholley cited Rule 8(2) of the Court Act, which empowers the court to dismiss appeals for non‑compliance, and prayed that Sheriff’s appeal be dismissed for want of prosecution.
After hearing both sides, Justice Ngegba announced that notices will be sent out for ruling.