By: Nicholas Bass
Ya-Fatou Sawaneh, a 35-year-old from Tujereng accused of wilfully killing her mother Binta Bojang, was confirmed mentally-ill by Dr. Lucay Onofa, a mental health consultant at the Tanka Tanka Psychiatric Hospital.
With over 18 years’ experience, Dr. Onofa told the court that prior to diagnosing Ya-Fatou, she was accompanied by one of her uncles, who came along with one prison officer, to the mental home on 31 October 2024. He explained that upon their arrival at the psychiatric center, he declined to diagnose her because there was no court order to that effect.
Dr. Onofo reported that Ya-Fatou was seen by two of her uncles and prison officers behaving irrationally, suspiciously and destructively, noting that the accused at times keeps telling her family that “they are coming, can’t you hear their footsteps.”
According to him, a day before Ya-Fatou Sawaneh was brought before him, she became “agitated’’ to an extent that all the children in her family fled the house. Dr. Onofo further adduced that Ya-Fatou had told him that on the eve of the death of her mother, she saw money in her mother’s head, adding that she informed him that her quench of accessing the money in her mother’s head made her to take a pestle and broke her head. The mental health consultant further stated that he was informed that Ya-Fatou’s mother was an epileptic patient and after Ya-Fatou took her medical dose within a span of nine weeks, she became mentally okay.
Dr. Onofo also revealed that Ya-Fatou has a depressed sub-type sickness but when she became aware of killing her mother, she became remorseful.
Under cross-examination by State prosecutor, M. D Mballow, Dr. Onofo stated that at the time of obtaining information about the accused, he had to obtain her information from her uncles because Sawaneh was not mentally stable. Mballow challenged the legality of Dr. Onofo obtaining the information of the accused without her uncles having the power of attorney to speak on her behalf.
Lawyer Fabakary Jammeh, who held brief for senior counsel Lamin J. Darboe, opposed the state lawyer’s reservations, stating that the court order surpasses the power of attorney, arguing that one cannot link mental issues with legal matters.
The defense lawyers are now expected to move their motion for a court bail for Ya-Fatou in the next adjournment date.