Defendant Released From Rape Charge Due to Lack of Interpreter
Montgomery County, Maryland Circuit Court Judge Katherine Savage dismissed three year old charges of child rape and sex abuse against Mahamu Kanneh. The Judge said the nearly three years of delay violated the Liberian immigrant’s right to a speedy trial.
According to the Washington Post, Savage said “This is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make in a long time.” She added she was mindful of “the gravity of this case and the community’s concern about offenses of this type.”
Kanneh demanded an interpreter of the Vai language, spoken by about 100,000 people, mostly in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Prosecutors argued Kanneh was not entitled to a translator. They pointed out that Kanneh attended high school and community college in Montgomery and spoke to detectives in English. A court-appointed psychiatrist recommended Kanneh be provided a translator and judges who handled subsequent hearings heeded the advice.
Officials could not find a competent interpreter of Vai who would stay in the case. The first interpreter couldn’t handle the testimony and quit. The second was rejected for faulty work. A third had to bail out to attend to a family emergency. The Washington Post, however, reported that it identified three Vai interpreters in one day, including one in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Prosecutors said the dismissal, after they searched exhaustively to find an interpreter, was fundamentally unfair. They have not yet decided whether to appeal the decision.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Judge Savage’ ruling on the Kanneh sexual offence case has sickened me to the very bottom of my soul. This is another case of unreasonable doubt. This alleged defendent has committed the foulest of human rights offences. The innocent, little victim, will lead a life burdened by a criminal act of extreme cruelty, complicated by a foolish judical decision. Of course the man could speak English. His performance in English has a definitive history. The Judge had every opportunity to supeona witnesses that could certainly testify to the defendents knowledge of the English language. This Savage woman should step down as a judge and retreat to a life of shame and obscurity. She has decided the outcome of this particular case with an emotional illogic. Her foolishness is void of all or any reasoning. Savage has loosed an animal on society. The legal system of our great country was founded on a platform of reason. Savage is certainly unable to formulate and utilize the concept of reason in any constructive way. Savage has certainly lived up to the definition of her name.
George C. Shuman