By Mamajah Jalloh
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Rapper John Koroma has been granted bail by Magistrate Idrissa A. Kamara of Ross Road Court No. 2 in Freetown, but the court imposed strict conditions to ensure his compliance with the law and attendance at subsequent proceedings.
Koroma is facing two charges: wounding, contrary to Section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 47 of the same Act.
The allegations stem from an incident on August 5, 2026, at 238 Bai Bureh Road, Wellington, Freetown, where Koroma is alleged to have maliciously wounded and assaulted Sarian George, causing her actual bodily harm.
Police Witness Testifies
During Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution called its final witness, DPC 14860 Bockarie Anthony, a police officer attached to the CID Department at the Congo Water Police Post.
The witness told the court that he recognised both the complainant and the accused and recalled that on August 5, at about 10:30 a.m., the complainant arrived at the police post with Koroma and reported an alleged assault.
He said he was subsequently instructed by his superior, Inspector Alie Kamara, to photograph the complainant’s injuries using his Tecno Spark 40 mobile phone.
The photograph was later produced in court as an exhibit.
During cross-examination, defence counsel Y. Conteh questioned the witness about his qualifications and the equipment used to photograph the alleged injuries.
Counsel asked whether the witness was a professional photographer. The witness replied: “I’m a police officer.”
The defence further questioned why a professional camera had not been used and whether a mobile phone could have exaggerated the appearance of the injuries.
The witness maintained that there was no specific camera available for the purpose and insisted that the photograph accurately represented what he observed.
He told the court that the complainant’s face appeared badly injured when he took the photograph and denied that the image had exaggerated the extent of the injuries.
The prosecution subsequently applied for the photograph to be tendered as Exhibit E, while the mobile phone used to take it was also handed over to the witness.
Prosecution Closes Case
With the prosecution having called all its witnesses, the State closed its case.
The defence indicated that it would open its case at the next sitting.
Defence counsel also informed the court that the prosecution had served the defence with an affidavit but had not provided documentary evidence concerning the complainant’s actions.
Counsel further noted that the complainant was absent from court.
Strict Bail Conditions
Despite the circumstances, Magistrate Kamara exercised his discretion to grant Koroma bail subject to stringent conditions.
The court ordered the accused to provide three sureties, all of whom must possess valid National Identification Cards.
One of the sureties must either be an Imam with a certificate in Islamic education and training or a Pastor with a certificate in theological studies.
The remaining two sureties must be executive members of the Eastern Artists Union, with documentary proof of their membership.
The court further ordered that the sureties must reside within the communities of both the complainant and the accused.
The conditions are intended to ensure that Koroma remains available for further proceedings and complies with all directives of the court.
The matter has been adjourned to August 20, 2026, for the defence to prepare and present its case.
