SANNIQUELLIE, Nimba County, Liberia — The Sexual Offenses Division Court at the 8th Judicial Circuit in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, has sentenced former police patrolman Wessay W. Weah to 25 years in prison for statutory rape involving a 16-year-old girl.
Resident Circuit Judge, Musa S. Sidibey handed down the final judgment, and sentencing on Thursday, August 27, 2026, after denying and dismissing defendant Wessay W. Weah’s motion for a new trial and affirming the majority guilty verdict returned by a 12-member trial jury on Monday, August 17, 2026.
The jury’s verdict followed deliberations and consideration of evidence presented during the trial, which commenced on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Convict Weah, a 55-year-old father of eight and former police patrolman with approximately 20 years of service, was found guilty of statutory rape.
The trial began after Weah entered a plea of not guilty following the reading of the indictment by the court clerk and the empanelment of a 15-member jury.
Prosecution’s Case:
During the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses, including the 16-year-old alleged victim, her mother, a police investigator, a medical examiner, and the victim’s grandmother. The witnesses testified on behalf of the State before the prosecution rested its case.
Following the conclusion of the prosecution’s presentation, Weah waived his constitutional and statutory right to testify in his own defense. He relied on Sections 2.5 and 2.6 of Chapter 2 of Liberia’s Criminal Procedure Law, which recognize an accused person’s privilege against being compelled to testify in a criminal proceeding.
The Indictment
According to the indictment filed by the Ministry of Justice through the Nimba County Attorney, the alleged incident occurred during the early morning hours of May 9, 2026, while the teenager was being held at the Ganta Police Depot.
Prosecutors alleged that the girl had initially been taken to the police station after a parent reported that money was allegedly missing from the mother’s mobile-money account.
The indictment states that on Friday, May 8, 2026, the girl’s mother reported the alleged theft to the Women and Children Protection Section in Ganta. Following the report, the teenager was reportedly placed in protective police custody while the matter was being investigated.
Officer Wessay W. Weah, who was then assigned to the Women and Children Protection Section, was allegedly responsible for supervising and providing security for the juvenile during her stay at the police facility.
However, prosecutors alleged that instead of protecting the minor, Weah sexually assaulted her while on duty. The alleged assault reportedly occurred during the early morning hours while the teenager remained in police custody.
After leaving the facility and returning home, the girl reportedly disclosed the alleged incident to her mother, prompting a report to law enforcement authorities. The Liberia National Police subsequently investigated the allegation, leading to Weah’s arrest and detention, according to the prosecution.
The alleged victim was also taken to a medical facility for examination, with the medical findings later presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence. The indictment alleges that the defendant’s conduct violated Section 14.70 of Title 26, the Penal Code of Liberia.
Motion for a New Trial:
Delivering the court’s consolidated ruling on the motion for a new trial, final judgment and sentencing, Judge Sidibey relied on several opinions of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
According to Judge Sidibey, the defense filed a seven-count motion for a new trial on August 19, 2026.
The court said the motion substantially restated the defense’s contentions contained in its written instructions to the jury. However, the judge noted that Count Six raised a new issue, alleging that the court had “overly emphasized” Weah’s exercise of his right not to testify and had sustained a counterargument against defense counsel’s argument in the presence of jurors before they retired to deliberate.
The defense therefore asked the court to set aside the majority guilty verdict and grant a new trial because the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence. In resistance to the defense’s motion, the prosecution filed a nine-count resistance to the motion on August 20, 2026, before the hearing on the motion later that day.
In its resistance, the prosecution maintained that the court had charged the jury in accordance with the law, evidence, facts, and circumstances surrounding the case.
The prosecution further argued that Weah had been accorded a fair trial and that the verdict was supported by evidence presented during the proceedings. The State therefore prayed the court to deny and dismiss the defense’s motion for a new trial.
Final Judgment and Sentencing:
In its final judgment, and sentencing, the Sexual Offenses Division Court considered a probation report filed on August 25, 2026, pursuant to the court’s directive. According to the report, Weah continued to maintain his innocence and confirmed that he did not testify or produce evidence in his defense, stating that he had “left everything with his defense lawyer.”
The report also indicated that the victim told probation officers that Weah intimidated and forced her against her will and that she feels distressed whenever she reflects on the incident. Judge Sidibey emphasized that statutory rape is a first-degree felony and stated that the offense not only betrays public trust but also tends to erode public confidence in law enforcement—something the court said it would not countenance.
The court stated that Weah was found guilty based on the facts and evidence presented during trial, arguments advanced by both prosecution and defense counsel, and the applicable legal authorities cited in the judgment. Judge Sidibey further noted that throughout the proceedings, Weah did not present evidence or testify to prove his innocence and did not demonstrate remorse following the jury’s majority guilty verdict.
Judge Sidibey said the sentence therefore took into consideration the purposes of punishment, including deterrence, correction and rehabilitation. The court noted that statutory rape is classified as a first-degree felony under Section 14.70(4)(a) of Liberia’s Penal Law and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court’s final judgment, delivered Thursday, adjudged Weah guilty, affirmed the jury’s majority guilty verdict, and sentenced him to 25 years in prison, to be served at the Sanniquellie Central Prison. “Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the motion for a new trial having been denied, and the majority guilty verdict affirmed, Defendant Wessay W. Weah is adjudged guilty of statutory rape of a 16-year-old. The defendant is sentenced to a prison term of twenty-five (25) years….”
Defense Announces Appeal
Following the court’s rulings on the motion for a new trial, final judgment and sentencing, Public Defense Lawyer Cllr. Aaron D. Kartee took exception to the ruling. Cllr. Kartee announced that the defense would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Liberia, sitting in its October 2026 Term of Court to seek review under the applicable law controlling the case. The court, meanwhile, noted defense counsel’s exception as a matter of law.
If pursued within the legally prescribed 10-day period, the appeal will place the case before the nation’s highest court for further legal review. The latest judgment by the Sexual Offenses Division Court brings to two the number of law enforcement and judicial officers in Nimba County who have been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment in separate rape cases.
In 2024, a 53-year-old former judicial magistrate of the Zuolay Magisterial Court, Chester S. Paye, was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for first-degree statutory rape involving a 12-year-old girl who was living with him. Paye has been serving his sentence at the Sanniquellie Central Prison since March 2024.
