By: Nicholas Bass
Justice Omar Cham of the Banjul High Court on Thursday issued an order for the Tujereng murder suspect Ya Fatou Sawaneh to be taken to Tanka Tanka mental home for a psychiatric test.
Ya-Fatou was suspected to be mentally-deranged and has been accused of causing the death of her mother Binta Bojang in August of last year.
According to court records,Ya-Fatou Sawaneh was arraigned before the Brusubi Magistrates’ Court on 31 October 2024, but her case was transferred to the Banjul High Court because the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain murder cases.
Defense lawyer Lamin J. Darboe in his application filed on Thursday recalled that Ya-Fatou’s case did not proceed on the last adjournment date,adding that such a delay was due to the circumstance of his client.
Lawyer Darboe, in his motion dated 29 January 2025, sought for an order from the court for Tanka Tanka psychiatric hospital to diagnose and issue a medical report on the suitability of granting bail to his client ”with a view to her living within the family setting at Tujereng in Kombo South District of West Coast Region”.
The presiding judge, justice Omar Cham, upon assessing the demeanor of Ya-Fatou who wept while in the dock, grantedDarboe’s motion without delay.
