Magistrate Harold Kamara of the Magistrate Court in Masiaka has committed Isatu Issa Conteh to stand trial before the High Court in Port Loko after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her on a murder charge.
The ruling was delivered on September 25, 2026, in Case No. C/S 373/2026, following committal proceedings initiated by the Inspector-General of Police.
Conteh, of Mathaineh Village in Mesimera Chiefdom, Port Loko Judicial District, is accused of allegedly killing Issa Conteh on August 25, 2026, at Mathaineh Village.
The court did not take a plea because murder is an indictable offence requiring trial before the High Court. The matter therefore proceeded through committal proceedings, during which the prosecution presented witness statements, documentary exhibits and other evidence. Conteh, who was unrepresented, confirmed that she had received and understood the materials presented.
In his ruling, Magistrate Kamara emphasised that committal proceedings are not a trial to determine guilt or innocence. Instead, the court’s role at that stage was to determine whether the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence capable of supporting a conviction if the evidence remained unrebutted at trial.
Among the evidence considered by the court were a post-mortem examination request and a cause-of-death certificate. The certificate recorded the cause of death as “acute hemorrhagic shock due to homicidal stab wound” to the right medial aspect of the thigh, with the depth of the wound recorded as 14 centimetres.
The prosecution also relied on statements from several witnesses. According to the court, the statements contained evidence linking Conteh to the alleged stabbing.
One witness, Alhaji Mohamed Fofanah, told police that Conteh allegedly admitted stabbing the deceased in the right leg with a kitchen knife. Other witnesses described an altercation involving Conteh, her younger sister and the deceased, during which a knife was allegedly used.
The court also considered Conteh’s voluntary cautioned statement, which it said contained admissions concerning the circumstances surrounding the incident. Other evidence included a kitchen knife, laboratory analysis of blood stains and photographs from the alleged crime scene.
Magistrate Kamara noted that the weight, reliability and ultimate effect of the evidence would be determined during the High Court trial.
After considering the prosecution’s evidence, the magistrate ruled that the State had established a prima facie case against Conteh and committed her to stand trial before the High Court in Port Loko on the charge of murder.
The court further ordered that Conteh remain in lawful custody pending her appearance before the High Court, unless otherwise ordered by a judge of competent jurisdiction.
