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Hawanatu Hawa Koroma was remanded into custody on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, as police presented evidence against her alleging that she poured fuel on her husband and ignited it, resulting in his death in Freetown.
Koroma appeared before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at Pademba Road Court No. 2 in Freetown.
She is accused of allegedly pouring an accelerant (fuel) on her husband, Nabieu Bangura, and setting him on fire, which resulted in his death.
Hawanatu faces a murder charge under Section 1 of the Offences Against the Person's Act of 1816, as amended by Section 1a of the Schedule for the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act of 2021, Act No. 6 of 2022.
According to the charge sheet, the incident reportedly occurred on November 22, 2024, behind the Leicester Peak Junction in Freetown.
During the proceedings, Detective Sergeant 10601 John Ansumana Macarthy of the Criminal Investigation Department, Mountain Division, testified about the case. He confirmed his awareness of the complainant and his recognition of the accused present in the courtroom.
Macarthy recounted that on November 22, 2024, he was on duty when the alleged murder case of Nabieu Bangura was transferred from the Family Support Unit to the CID. He was assigned to investigate the matter.
The detective reviewed the file, which included voluntary caution statements from both the complainant and the accused, along with a medical report detailing the deceased’s admission to Connaught Hospital.
He noted that the incident that led to the death of the deceased occurred on November 22, 2024, and indicated that the accused was responsible for setting him on fire.
Macarthy further stated that on November 24, 2024, he requested a postmortem examination from Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Someone Owizz Koroma, which was subsequently conducted at the Connaught Mortuary on November 25, 2024, under his supervision and in the presence of the deceased's relatives.
Following the autopsy, a death certificate was issued to the police, while the original was given to the family for burial.
On November 26, 2024, Macarthy and Police Constable 21552 Samba G obtained voluntary caution statements from the accused, following proper judicial procedures. These statements were presented in court as part of the prosecution’s evidence. On December 17, 2024, the detective formally charged the accused with murder, ensuring compliance with judicial protocols.
The matter was adjourned to January 29, 2025, for the cross-examination of the police witness in this ongoing case.
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