Criminal Court E Acquits Him of Gang Rape; Orders Pre-Sentence Report Before Sentencing
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh
Monrovia — Assigned Circuit Judge Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh Sr. has found 63-year-old Peter Bon Jallah, a staff member of the National Security Agency (NSA), guilty of statutory rape and kidnapping, but not guilty of gang rape in a case involving a 16-year-old boy.
In a verdict delivered Friday, October 23, Judge Wesseh said he had reviewed the evidence presented by both parties and considered the arguments advanced during the trial before determining that the prosecution had established sufficient grounds to convict Jallah on two of the three charges.
The judge framed his decision around three central questions: whether the prosecution’s evidence justified a conviction for gang rape, statutory rape and kidnapping.
He answered the first question in the negative, acquitting Jallah of gang rape, but answered the other two in the affirmative, finding him guilty of statutory rape and kidnapping.
Following the verdict, Judge Wesseh ordered Jallah remanded at Monrovia Central Prison pending the submission of a pre-sentence and behavioral report by the Bureau of Probation Services at the Ministry of Justice.
The judge directed the clerk of court to communicate with the probation authorities to ensure that the report is made available as soon as possible to assist the court in determining the appropriate sentence.
Judge Identifies Three Decisive Questions
In his ruling, Judge Wesseh said the court had examined the facts and circumstances contained in the evidence presented at trial before identifying three issues that were decisive to the case.
On the gang rape charge, the judge concluded that the prosecution’s evidence did not provide sufficient and reasonable grounds to convict Jallah. He consequently declared the defendant not guilty and acquitted him of that charge.
However, on statutory rape, the judge found that the evidence presented by the prosecution provided sufficient grounds for conviction.
He reached a similar conclusion on the kidnapping charge, finding Jallah guilty on that count as well.
The ruling represents a split decision in a case that involved allegations of repeated sexual abuse of a minor and the alleged confinement of the complainant for several days.
Indictment Details Alleged Repeated Abuse
According to the indictment summarized in the court’s verdict, Jallah and two unidentified men were indicted by the Montserrado County Grand Jury during the February 2026 Term of Court for gang rape, statutory rape and kidnapping.
The indictment alleged that Jallah and the two other men acted individually and jointly in sexually abusing the complainant on multiple occasions.
It further stated that the complainant, who was 16 at the time of the alleged incidents, lived in the Airfield Shark Community in Monrovia and regularly visited Jallah’s residence to perform domestic work for which he received compensation.
The indictment alleged that on November 29 and December 24, 2025, Jallah lured the boy to his residence in the Sharks Community of Airfield Sinkor, where he allegedly sexually assaulted him.
The most serious allegations concerned an incident said to have occurred on January 1, 2026, after the boy participated in a community football league at the Kpelle Town football field.
According to the indictment, the boy encountered Jallah near his residence after the game. Jallah allegedly offered to purchase football boots for him and instructed him to return home to bathe before accompanying him.
The indictment alleged that the two subsequently travelled by car to a building in the Camp Johnson Road area of downtown Monrovia, where the boy was allegedly held for three days and sexually abused by Jallah and the two unidentified men.
It further alleged that on January 3, 2026, at about 10 p.m., the boy was concealed at the back of Jallah’s vehicle and abandoned along 15th Street in Sinkor.
The complainant was reportedly rescued by private security guards, who alerted his parents. His mother and other relatives subsequently took him to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center for medical examinations.
These details formed part of the allegations contained in the indictment and should not be interpreted as separate findings by the court unless expressly established in the judge’s ruling.
Case Faced Procedural Delays
The court’s verdict also outlined the procedural history of the case, which experienced several delays before proceeding to a full trial.
The case was initially before Criminal Assizes Court “A” for Montserrado County before being transferred to Criminal Court “E” for evidentiary proceedings and a full trial.
Jallah was arraigned on June 18, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to the indictment. He subsequently elected to be tried by a judge without a jury.
The trial was delayed after the prosecution filed a motion seeking a change of venue. Following the denial of that motion, the prosecution petitioned the Chamber Justice for a writ of certiorari, but the petition was denied and the case was ordered to proceed.
The proceedings encountered another setback when the judge previously presiding over the matter could not continue taking evidence after the regular sitting of the court expired.
On August 5, 2026, the case was reassigned for trial.
According to the written verdict, the prosecution presented 13 regular witnesses and six rebuttal witnesses, while the defense called eight regular witnesses and three subpoenaed witnesses from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Orange GSM and the John F. Kennedy Medical Center.
The prosecution’s witnesses included the complainant, police investigators, medical personnel and Rwandan forensic examiner Pascal Bavugirije.
The defense witnesses included Jallah himself and several other individuals who testified on his behalf.
The number of witnesses listed in the written verdict differs from earlier accounts that referred to 12 prosecution witnesses, making the court’s official record the appropriate reference for the final tally.
DNA and Medical Evidence Featured at Trial
The prosecution relied in part on forensic findings linking Jallah’s DNA profile to biological material recovered from four clothing exhibits.
However, testimony attributed to the forensic examiner indicated that the findings could not establish precisely when or how the biological material was deposited.
The defense challenged the prosecution’s interpretation of the evidence, pointing to alleged inconsistencies in the complainant’s account and limitations in the medical and forensic findings.
Medical evidence also featured prominently in the proceedings. Earlier accounts of the trial referenced a John F. Kennedy Medical Center report that reportedly found no visible signs of anal trauma, while the parties disputed the significance of the medical and forensic findings.
The precise weight the court assigned to each item of evidence should be established from the complete written ruling and trial record. The verdict provided identifies the court’s conclusions on the three charges but does not detail its assessment of every witness or exhibit.
Prosecution and Defense Clash in Final Arguments
During final arguments on Thursday, October 22, prosecution lawyer Cllr. Calvin H. Momolu urged Judge Wesseh to convict Jallah, maintaining that the evidence presented during the trial supported the charges.
Defense lawyer Cllr. Wilfred Sayeh argued that the prosecution had failed to prove its case to the required legal standard. The defense questioned the police investigation and challenged the interpretation of the medical, forensic and testimonial evidence.
The judge adjourned the proceedings until Friday morning to review the evidence and arguments before delivering the verdict.
In reaching his decision, Judge Wesseh found the prosecution’s evidence sufficient to convict Jallah of statutory rape and kidnapping, while concluding that it did not warrant a conviction for gang rape.
The two other men named in the indictment were not brought under the court’s jurisdiction and were not tried alongside Jallah in these proceedings.
Defense Plans Appeal
Following the verdict, defense lawyer Cllr. Sayeh announced plans to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Liberia.
The planned appeal would give the defense an opportunity to challenge the lower court’s decision before the country’s highest court.
In the meantime, Jallah remains ordered remanded at Monrovia Central Prison while the Bureau of Probation Services prepares the report requested by Judge Wesseh.
The report is intended to assist the court in determining the sentence to be imposed following the guilty verdicts.
The case now enters the sentencing stage before the anticipated appeal, with the court having found Jallah guilty of statutory rape and kidnapping but acquitted him of gang rape.