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Criminal Court “E” for Montserrado County has convicted 63-year-old Peter Bon Jallah of statutory rape and kidnapping involving a 16-year-old boy, while acquitting him of gang rape after a trial that featured testimony from prosecution and defense witnesses.
In a verdict delivered Friday, October 23, 2026, Assigned Circuit Judge Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh Sr. ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to establish Jallah’s guilt on the statutory rape and kidnapping charges but failed to establish sufficient grounds to convict him of gang rape.
The court ordered Jallah remanded at the Monrovia Central Prison pending the submission of a pre-sentence and behavioral report by the Bureau of Probation Services at the Ministry of Justice, which is expected to guide the court in determining his sentence.
In its verdict, the court stated that it had reviewed the evidence presented by both parties and considered the legal arguments before determining the three central issues in the case.
On the gang rape charge, the court answered in the negative the question of whether the prosecution’s evidence provided sufficient grounds for conviction.
“ Hence, this court finds Defendant Peter Bon Jallah ‘NOT GUILTY’ of the Crime of Gang Rape; and he is hereby acquitted of the Crime of Gang Rape,” the verdict stated.
However, on the statutory rape charge, the court answered in the affirmative, finding Jallah guilty. It reached the same conclusion on the kidnapping charge.
“Notwithstanding and having adjudged Defendant Peter Bon Jallah guilty, on two counts of the indictment (Statutory Rape and Kidnaping),” the court ordered the clerk to record the verdict and directed that Jallah be remanded pending the availability of the required report.
The court further instructed its clerk to communicate with the Bureau of Probation Services to obtain the pre-sentence report “as soon as possible” to assist with the imposition of judgment and sentence.
The convictions stem from allegations that Jallah sexually abused the teenager on multiple occasions and later took him to a building in the Camp Johnson Road area of downtown Monrovia, where he was allegedly held for three days.
According to the indictment, Jallah and two unidentified men were charged during the February 2026 Term of Court with gang rape, statutory rape and kidnapping. The indictment alleged that the three men acted individually and jointly in sexually abusing the boy.
The alleged victim and Jallah were both inhabitants of the Airfield Shark Community in Sinkor, Monrovia. The indictment stated that the teenager regularly visited Jallah’s residence to perform domestic work and errands for which he received compensation.
The prosecution alleged that Jallah used that relationship to lure the boy to his residence on November 29 and December 24, 2025, where the alleged sexual assaults occurred.
According to the indictment, the alleged victim was sexually assaulted in Jallah’s bedroom and subsequently in his daughter’s bedroom.
The indictment further alleged that on January 1, 2026, the teenager encountered Jallah after participating in a community football league at the Kpelle Town football field.
Jallah allegedly asked the boy why he had not informed him about the football game so that he could purchase a pair of football boots for him. He reportedly instructed the teenager to return home, bathe and come back, promising to take him out to buy the boots.
The prosecution alleged that the two subsequently boarded Jallah’s vehicle and travelled to an unidentified building in the Camp Johnson Road area of downtown Monrovia.
According to the indictment, the teenager was kept at the building for three days, during which he was allegedly sexually abused multiple times by Jallah and the two unidentified men. The indictment also alleged that the boy was fed noodles during his confinement and experienced dizziness.
The prosecution further alleged that on January 3, 2026, at approximately 10 p.m., the perpetrators concealed the teenager in the back of Jallah’s vehicle and abandoned him along 15th Street in Sinkor.
The boy 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.
The court’s verdict establishes Jallah’s guilt on the statutory rape and kidnapping charges but acquits him of gang rape. The supplied verdict does not include the court’s detailed analysis of the evidence supporting each finding or its specific reasons for acquitting him of gang rape.
The case was initially assigned to Criminal Assizes Court “A” for Montserrado County before being transferred to Court “E” for further proceedings and a full trial. Jallah was separated from the two unidentified co-defendants, who were not brought under the court’s jurisdiction.
Jallah was arraigned in open court on June 18, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to the indictment. He subsequently exercised his right to a trial without a jury, opting for a bench trial before the assigned circuit judge.
The proceedings experienced delays after the prosecution filed a motion seeking a change of venue. The motion was heard and denied, prompting the prosecution to petition the Chambers of the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. According to the verdict, the Chambers Justice denied the petition and ordered the case to proceed in accordance with the law.
The trial encountered another delay when the sitting period of the court expired before the taking of evidence could proceed. The case was subsequently reassigned for regular trial on August 5, 2026.
During the trial, the prosecution presented 13 regular witnesses and six rebuttal witnesses. The regular witnesses included the alleged victim, Sattarus S. Kennedy, Jackson Oliver, Mercy Johnson, Jenette Belleh Oluking, Daniella A. Nagba, Emmalyn B. Baysah, Lassana Konneh, Varney F. Sesay, Police Officer Linsay Gould, Officer Vally M. Sheriff, Pascal Bavugirije and Saybah M. Johnsson.
The prosecution’s rebuttal witnesses included Julie Fahnbulleh, Emmalyn Bassay, Officer Vally Sheriff, Ruth Tulay, Jackson Oliver and the alleged victim.
The defense presented eight regular witnesses, including Jallah himself, Augustus Tuan, Anita Roberts, George Toe Washington Jr., Patience Konneh, Melvina M. Mendee, Cynthia Jackson and Harris M. Duncan.
The defense also subpoenaed three witnesses from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Orange GSM and the John F. Kennedy Medical Center.
After both parties rested their cases, the court scheduled final legal arguments for October 22, 2026. Following the arguments, Judge Wesseh adjourned the matter to October 23 to review the evidence and testimony before delivering the verdict.
In its final order, the court directed the clerk to enter the verdict into the official court records and obtain the pre-sentence report from the Bureau of Probation Services at the Ministry of Justice.
Jallah will remain at the Monrovia Central Prison pending the report and the court’s subsequent imposition of sentence.
The verdict concludes the trial phase of the case, but the final punishment remains pending.
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