By: Dawda M. Jallow
A Sierra Leonean man identified as Bubacarr Ceesay has been remanded at Mile II Central Prison by the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to stealing motor batteries valued at D12,500.
The case was heard before Magistrate Binta Sowe, where Cadet Inspector L. Mendy appeared for the prosecution and charged Ceesay with theft, contrary to Section 226 of the Criminal Offences Act, 2025.
According to the particulars of the offence, Ceesay stole two car batteries belonging to Essa Eninonobo on October 10, 2026, at Bakau in the Kanifing Municipality.
When the charge was read and interpreted to him, Ceesay pleaded guilty but told the court that he had stolen only one battery.
“I accept I stole the battery, but I only stole one battery,” he told the court.
Presenting the facts, the prosecution told the court that the accused went to a garage in Bakau and took two batteries of different sizes, one valued at D3,000 and the other at D9,000.
The prosecution said Ceesay was spotted by a security guard at Sering Mass Kah Senior Secondary School after jumping over the school’s fence with one of the batteries.
According to the prosecution, the security guard questioned him about the battery but was not satisfied with his explanation. The guard, who knew of a nearby mechanic garage, apprehended him and contacted a teacher. They subsequently escorted him to Bakau Police Station.
The prosecution further told the court that the owner of the garage was informed about the arrest. Upon arriving at the police station, the complainant identified the recovered battery as his property.
However, the prosecution said the second battery, valued at D9,000, had not been recovered.
The court was also informed that cautionary and voluntary statements had been obtained from the accused. The prosecution applied to tender the statements and a photograph of the recovered battery as exhibits, marked A1, A2 and A3, respectively.
After the prosecution presented the facts, Ceesay accepted them as accurate and maintained his guilty plea. In his plea for leniency, he asked the court for forgiveness, saying he had gone to the garage to collect cans and had not intended to steal.
“I know what I did was wrong, but it was not my intention to steal. I went to the garage to collect cans but not to steal,” he said.
The prosecution subsequently applied for compensation of D9,000 for the unrecovered battery under Section 192 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 2025.
Magistrate Sowe adjourned the case to November 9, 2026, for sentencing and ordered that Ceesay remain in remand at Mile II Central Prison until the next hearing.