Drug dealer was forced into being child soldier, lawyer says

A Niagara drug dealer should be afforded a relatively lenient jail sentence due to the horrors he experienced as a child soldier in Sierra Leone, court heard Friday.

Kelleh Mansary appeared in a Superior Court of Justice in Welland on Friday for sentencing on a charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The 38-year-old Niagara Falls resident was arrested by Niagara Regional Police following an investigation into drug trafficking in Welland.

During the course of the investigation, police seized six ounces of cocaine.

In court Friday, defence lawyer Geoffrey Hadfield advocated for a sentence of 18 months to two years.

“I realize that’s at the low end, but there are aggravating, mitigating factors here that I will ask your honour to consider,” he told the judge.

Court heard Mansary was kidnapped in Sierra Leone by the Revolutionary United Front and forced to serve as a child solider for four years.

Between 1991 and 2002, thousands of children were abducted by the rebel army in the West African country.

“The most adversely affected individuals of that victimization are those who actually participated directly, rather than just observed the killing, the brutality, the torturing … all of which Mr. Mansary participated in,” Hadfield said.

Court was told the defendant functions at an educational level of a child in Grades 5 to 8, which is equivalent to the age he was when he was abducted.

Hadfield said the defendant struggles with psychiatric issues due to the traumatic events he endured in his childhood.

The federal prosecutor is seeking a penalty in excess of two years. Judge David Edwards will deliver his decision in February.