By Nicholas Bass
Magistrate Ebou Sowe of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday 22nd September 2022, convicted and sentenced Mamadou Sirajo Jallow and Mamadou Marifon to years of custody imprisonment without a fine for the theft and burglary offence.
The two convicts are Guinean nationals who had stolen the belongings of six residents of Mandinaba Village estimated to be over fifty-four thousand three hundred and five Dalasi (D54,305.00).
The first accused, Mamadou S. Jallow pleaded guilty to all the six counts of offences filed against him while Mamadou Marifon, the send accused pleaded guilty to counts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 of the offence but pleaded not guilty to count 3.
Cadet Inspector Alieu Gaye during the narration of facts told the court that both the two convicts, Mamadou Sirajo Jallow and Mamadou Marifon on the 25th August 2022 were reported by the community of Mandinaba village as suspects of theft and burglary at the Mandinaba Police Station which prompted the deployment of Police Officers to the village for investigation. The 2nd accused Mamadou Marifon was arrested while the 1st accused, Mamadou Sirajo Jallow absconded through the fence. The 1st accused was later arrested as a suspect of theft and burglary. Mandinaba Police Officers recovered a hammer, a chisel, pliers, a Television screen, a Samsung Spark phone, and a gaming tablet with a headphone.
The recovered items were tendered in the court by the prosecution officer, Cadet Inspector Gaye as exhibits.
The Prosecutor went on that the duo, Mamadou Sirajo Jallow and Mamadou Marifon both on the 25th August 2022 at Mandinaba Village in Kombo East in West Coast Region broke into the house of Jarra Camara, Fatoumata Drammeh, Alasana Barry, Fatoumatta Jallow and the shop of Dalanda Jallow and stole their items amounted to over fifty-four thousand three hundred and five Dalasi (D54,305).
The two convicts admitted the facts narrated by the prosecuting officer and pleaded for mitigation from the court.
However, the presiding Magistrate Ebou Sowe stated that both the 1st and the 2nd convicts, Mamadou Sirajo Jallow and Mamadou Marifon were first-time offenders, noting that the 1st convict, Mamadou Sirajo Jallow pleaded guilty to all six counts but the 2ud convict, Mamadou Marifon pleaded guilty to all the six counts but denied the 3rd count filed against him.
“Therefore, I hereby sentence both Mamadou Sirajo Jallow and Mamadou Marifon to four years of custody imprisonment without a fine on the first count, five years custody imprisonment on the second count, three years imprisonment on the third count, four years custody imprisonment on the fourth count and six years custody imprisonment on the six counts respectively and I ruled that all the terms of imprisonments shall run together,” Magistrate Ebou Sowe gave his judgment.
Meanwhile, the Prosecuting Officer Alieu Gaye pleaded to the court for the victims to compensate the complainants for the damage made to their properties as he cited sections 145 and 31 of the Criminal Proceedings Court.
Based on his pleas and the cited section, Magistrate Sowe thereby granted the plea that the convicts compensate the complaints according to the charges filed against them.
However, the case was further adjourned to 24 October 2022 for the hearing of PW1 in the third count of the 2nd accused, Mamadou Marifon.
The Police Prosecuting Officer Cadet Inspector Alieu Gaye represented the I.G.P