Ibrahim Barrie who was testifying in the alleged manslaughter case between the state and Abdul Raka Thorley on Friday said that the accused, Abdul Raka Thorley usually smokes cannabis sativa.
The witness, who appeared before Justice Miata Samba at High Court No. 8 as the first prosecution witness, told the court that he was living in the same community with the accused. He said on the 16th of May this year, he was returning home from town when he saw a group of people at Mackey Street, branching to Savage Square, urging the accused to let go someone.
He stated that when he drew closer to see what was going on he noticed that the accused was beating the deceased, Mustapha Barrie, who happened to be his nephew.
“I saw the accused holding on a big stone and a short stick that was partly burnt. I saw him throw the stone at the boy but it did not reach him. He then used the stick to stab the boy’s right eye,” the witness recounted.
He went on to say that that the accused immediately ran into the compound he was staying and shut the gate. “The deceased tried to enter the gate as he was bleeding from his eye right eye but the accused could not let him”, he continued, adding that when the boy finally got his way into the compound he followed him there and asked him what went wrong.
The witness said the deceased told him that the ball with which they were playing went into the accused compound and that when he went into the compound to got the ball, a dog chased him. According to the witness, the deceased went on to say that the accused started beating him because he stoned the dog.
PW1 further told the court that he was about taking the deceased to the police station but the accused mother pleaded with tears for him not to do so. They therefore took the child that evening to a pharmacy were the boy was given tetanus injection and other medications.
“The following morning, when we woke up, I noticed that the child’s face was swollen, my brother and sister in the absence of the accused mother took the child to the Connaught Hospital. My brother later called and informed me that the boy was dead,” he narrated.
During cross examination, when defence council, Cheryl Blake asked him whether he had any idea of the accused having a history of mental disorder or whether the accused had been smoking cannabis sativa, the witness said he had no information about the mental state of the accused but that the accused used to smoke marijuana.
The accused is still remanded at the male correctional centre. Meanwhile, the matter was adjourned to Wednesday 18th November for the second prosecution witness.
By Edna Smalle
Monday November 16, 2015
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