Uroy Joseph Sentenced to 22 Years for Helping Cousin After Arthur James’s Murder

Uroy Joseph of Liberta has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for assisting his cousin after the killing of Arthur James nearly five years ago.

High Court Justice Ann Marie Smith imposed the sentence on Monday, following Joseph’s conviction about two weeks earlier for being an accessory to murder after the fact.

According to Observer, James was last seen at Gray’s Farm on October 28, 2021. Two days later, his burnt remains were discovered in bushes in Freetown. Forensic analysis subsequently confirmed his identity.

The prosecution alleged that between October 28 and 31, 2021, Joseph helped his cousin, Zamir O’Garro, after James was killed.

During the trial, Joseph told the court in an unsworn statement that he returned home to find James tied up and both of his cousins armed. He said he saw Zamir strike James on the head with a pipe.

Joseph admitted helping to place James, wrapped in a sheet, into a vehicle. However, he maintained that he acted after Zamir threatened that he would “face the same consequence” if he refused.

Defence attorney Lawrence Daniels argued that Joseph acted under duress. He also challenged the prosecution’s evidence, noting that no pathologist’s report establishing James’s cause of death had been presented.

Director of Public Prosecutions Clement Joseph countered that the accused had admitted providing assistance. He argued that establishing the cause of death was unnecessary for the charge of being an accessory after the fact.

The Crown relied on Joseph’s statement to police and a pipe bearing blood that matched James’s. Police testified that Joseph showed them where the pipe had been hidden in a fence.

Video footage recorded by a neighbour in Liberta also showed Joseph and one of his former co-accused removing James’s vehicle from his home.

Joseph was initially charged alongside his cousins, brothers Zamir and Obasic O’Garro, but neither lived to stand trial.

Obasic died in February 2024 following health complications, including kidney problems. Zamir died at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre in February 2026 after reportedly falling ill in custody.