By Isatou Sarr
Magistrate K.B. Sambou of Brikama Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 14 September 2026, sentenced three young men to three years and six months’ imprisonment each for conspiracy to commit a felony, burglary and stealing.
The convicts, Sheriff Dibba alias Sey Boy, Assan Sowe alias Sasco and Muhammed Sowe alias Dezzeh, were convicted on three counts relating to an incident at Jambur Village in the West Coast Region.
On the first count, the three were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 368 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 10:01, Volume 3, Laws of The Gambia 2009.
The prosecution alleged that on or about 27 June 2024, at Jambur Village in the West Coast Region, the three conspired to commit a felony, namely stealing.
On the second count, they were charged with burglary, contrary to Section 281(2) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 10:01, Volume 2, Laws of The Gambia 2009.
According to the particulars of the offence, the accused allegedly broke into the house of Musa Joof at Jambur Village at about 2 a.m. on 27 June 2024, with the intention of committing a felony, namely stealing.
For the third count, the three were jointly charged with stealing, contrary to Section 252 of the Criminal Code.
The prosecution alleged that they stole several items belonging to Musa Joof and Awa Fatty, including an iPhone 15 Pro Max valued at D95,000, a OnePlus smartphone valued at D25,000, a Vivo mobile phone valued at D20,000, an Oppo mobile phone valued at D15,000 and another OnePlus smartphone valued at D15,000.
Other items allegedly stolen included a wallet valued at D600 containing D2,000 in cash, £20 equivalent to D1,846.14, 20,000 CFA francs equivalent to D2,220, a driving licence and a Gambian national identity card.
The total value of the items and cash stolen was put at D176,666.14.
When the case was first called on 11 September 2024, the accused were absent. Police Prosecutor Sergeant 4624 A. Jallow informed the court that they were already standing trial at the High Court and were being held in remand wing.
Sergeant Jallow told the court that the accused had refused to accompany the escorting officers to court that morning and applied for an order directing prison authorities to ensure their attendance.
The court granted the application and ordered prison authorities to escort the three accused to subsequent hearings.
At the next hearing on 23 September 2024, the accused were again absent. They appeared in court on 24 September 2024 without legal representation.
The charges were read and explained to them in English and interpreted into languages they understood. They all pleaded not guilty to the three counts.
To prove its case, the prosecution called six witnesses, including Musa Joof, Abdoulie Nying, Yankuba Bojang, Abdoulie Jallow, Awa Fatty and Ebou Sowe.
The prosecution also tendered photographs and a flash drive and played CCTV footage in court, which it said showed the three accused persons committing the offences.
The accused subsequently opened their defence but called no witnesses.
After hearing the evidence, the court found all three accused guilty and convicted them accordingly.
In mitigation, the convicts pleaded for mercy and told the court that they had family responsibilities.
In making sentence, Magistrate Sambou said he had considered their plea for mitigation but described their actions as “uncalled for and dangerous.”
The court accordingly sentenced each convict to one year imprisonment on count one, one year and six months on count two, and six months on count three.
The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning the convicts will serve a maximum of three years and six months.
The court also ordered each convict to pay D70,000 in compensation to the complainant, in default of which each would serve an additional six months in prison.