Magistrate Solomon Christian Kekurah of the York Village Court has sentenced 18-year-old Abu Bakarr Koroma to four years in prison after finding him guilty on two counts of domestic violence and sexual harassment against his stepmother. He was given two years for each charge, with the sentences to run consecutively.
The court also referred Koroma’s case to the High Court for trial on an additional charge of grievous bodily harm, after he allegedly threw caustic soda on his stepmother, Jamilatu Koroma, leaving her blind in her right eye. The ruling was delivered on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, with the convicted teenager offering no plea for leniency before sentencing.
To prove its case, the prosecution presented three witnesses, including the victim herself. Jamilatu Koroma, 28, testified that she lives in the Baw-Baw community and confirmed the convict as her stepson. She recounted that on the evening of Thursday, April 3, 2025, after returning from work as a house help, she gave the accused Le 5 to buy phone credit and handed him her phone before retiring to bed.
She said she was later startled awake in a dark room, with flashes of light intermittently going on and off. She then noticed the accused standing by her bed, armed with a knife and stick. According to her, he pushed her and poured a substance on her face, which she later discovered was caustic soda. The corrosive liquid caused excruciating pain, and she screamed, “You have killed me.”
The victim recounted that as she attempted to escape, the accused shoved her back inside, causing her to fall. He then sat on her, pulled out a knife, and demanded three things: her business money, her phone, and sexual intercourse. Despite her resistance, she alleged that the accused forcefully had sex with her.
Magistrate Kekurah, however, stopped her from going further into details of the sexual act, noting that his court lacked jurisdiction to hear sexual offence cases, though it could address the impact of the assault and its psychological effects. He further stated that the Attorney General could indict the accused on rape charges for trial at the High Court.
Delivering his ruling, Magistrate Kekurah stated: “Having examined the totality of the evidence before me, I am firmly convinced that the prosecution has proven its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.”
