His Worship Magistrate Harold Kamara of the Masiaka Magistrate’s Court has committed murder suspect Santigie Conteh alias “PZ” to stand trial before the High Court in Port Loko after ruling that the prosecution established a prima facie case against the accused.
The ruling was delivered on Wednesday, 28 May 2026, during committal proceedings held at the Masiaka Magistrate’s Court.
According to court records in Criminal Session 113/2026, Santigie Conteh is charged with murder contrary to Section 1 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861, as replaced by Section 1(a) of the Schedule to the Abolition of Death Penalty Act No. 6 of 2022.
In his ruling, Magistrate Kamara explained that the court’s responsibility at the committal stage was not to determine whether the accused was guilty or innocent, but to ascertain whether sufficient evidence existed upon which a reasonable High Court judge could convict.
The magistrate cited legal authorities including R v Galbraith (1981) and Woolmington v DPP (1935) in support of his decision.
The prosecution, led by Sergeant 7716 Sesay A.M. on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, alleged that on Monday, 27 April 2026, at Old Freetown Road in Masiaka Town, Koya Chiefdom, Port Loko Judicial District, the accused murdered one Fatmata Conteh.
During the proceedings, the prosecution presented several exhibits before the court, including witness statements, photographs, documentary evidence, a postmortem examination report, a cause of death certificate, forwarding letters, the alleged murder weapon, and the accused’s voluntary cautioned statement.
The materials were reportedly served on the accused in accordance with Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 8 of 2024.
Magistrate Kamara noted in his ruling that statements from prosecution witnesses, Zainab Kanu and Idrissa Kargbo, alleged that the deceased identified “PZ” as the individual who stabbed her shortly before collapsing. The court also heard that the deceased was found bleeding heavily from the neck.
The court further considered the postmortem report and cause of death certificate, which Magistrate Kamara said sufficiently established that Fatmata Conteh died from injuries sustained during the incident.
A major aspect of the prosecution’s case was the accused’s voluntary cautioned statement, marked as Exhibit G1-G28, in which the defendant allegedly admitted stabbing the deceased following a disagreement.
According to the ruling, the accused stated: “I used the knife and stabbed her,” while also describing the allegation against him as “true and correct.”
Magistrate Kamara additionally considered photographs of the deceased and a stainless steel knife without a handle, allegedly used during the incident, as material evidence supporting the prosecution’s case.
The magistrate further observed that the accused allegedly fled to Rochin Village after the incident before later being arrested by police, noting that such conduct could amount to an inference of guilt, although the final determination would be made by the High Court.
The ruling also stated that the accused declined to cross-examine prosecution witnesses and allegedly admitted before the court that he stabbed and killed the deceased while pleading for mercy.
Having reviewed the evidence presented, Magistrate Kamara ruled that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case of murder against Santigie Conteh alias “PZ.”
“Accordingly, pursuant to Section 110 of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 8 of 2024, I hereby commit the defendant Santigie Conteh alias PZ to stand trial before the High Court at Port Loko on the charge of murder,” Magistrate Kamara ruled.
The accused has been remanded in lawful custody pending his appearance before the High Court unless otherwise ordered by a judge of competent jurisdiction.
