By Alima Kargbo
Magistrate Julia Mary Gbloh of the Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 5 has sentenced Ibrahim Kargbo to five years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of stealing an outdoor unit of a 24 BTV air conditioner belonging to the Sierra Leone Law School, while his co-accused, Mohamed Osman Kamara, was acquitted and discharged for lack of evidence.
The two men were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and larceny under the Larceny Act of 1916. Prosecutors alleged that on 11 May 2026 at the Sierra Leone Law School on Jomo Kenyatta Road, Freetown, they stole the air conditioning unit valued at Le36,000. Both men pleaded not guilty.
In her judgment, Magistrate Julia Mary Gbloh ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the conspiracy charge and found no evidence linking Mohamed Osman Kamara to the theft, leading to his acquittal on both counts. However, the court found that the evidence against Ibrahim Kargbo proved the offence of larceny beyond reasonable doubt.
While passing sentence, Magistrate Gbloh said the stolen property belonged to the Sierra Leone Law School, a public institution, and noted that theft of public property causes financial loss and disrupts institutions established to serve the public. She said the offence required a sentence that reflected punishment, deterrence and the protection of public property, before sentencing Ibrahim Kargbo to five years’ imprisonment.
