“Investigating the Admissibility of Confessions in Criminal Trials in Sierra Leoneâ€

This paper examines the rules for the admissibility of confession evidence in a criminal trial and any exclusionary principles in Sierra Leone. As a principle, a voluntary confession is admissible in the trial of the accused that made it. Sometimes, confessions carry much weight as convicting an accused independently. Even though illegally obtained evidence relevant to the matter is admissible in courts, confession illegally obtained constitutes an exception. This article claims that how certain extra-judicial confessions are obtained from accused persons is wholly or partly influenced by force, threat, fear, intimidation or promise. This makes such confession evidence “illegally obtained†and, therefore, legally inadmissible. This article uses secondary sources, including legislation, decided cases, textbooks, journals and articles, to give a comprehensive analysis of the issue by exploring the procedure and practice of courts regarding the inadmissibility of confession evidence in Sierra Leone. This reveals the challenges in the administration of justice in criminal trials. Recommendations are therefore tendered to help cure the weaknesses of the confessions’ admissibility system in Sierra Leone.