The Pikine-Guédiawaye Magistrates’ Court in the suburbs of Dakar on Wednesday sentenced Mr A Sow to eight years in prison, along with a ban on residing in Dakar.
Sow, in his sixties, was convicted under a new law that came into force in March which toughens the repression of homosexuality in Senegal. According to the Youssou N’Dour-owned L’Observateur daily newspaper, during the trial which took place behind closed doors, Sow was found guilty of “paedophilia and harassment of a 14-year-old middle school student”.
The story began on 7th April, 2026, at the Golf-Sud Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station in Dakar. Sow spotted the school boy M Niang and lured him by playing the “fatherly benevolence card,” claiming he had math textbooks to give him. Gaining his trust, the boy gave him his phone. Sow then started harassing young Niang “even going so far as to show his genitals” during his incessant calls and obscene videos. In collusion with the child’s parents, law enforcement set a trap for the predator, leading to his arrest.
In court on Wednesday, the defendant broke down after being confronted with digital evidence. “He finally made chilling confessions, even admitting to being a repeat offender of these dark practices,” according to L’Observateur.
Whereas the prosecutor had requested a ten-year prison sentence, in its ruling, the court gave him eight years and banned him from acting as a guardian or curator for five years.
Five days earlier, the same court, relying on the new anti-homosexuality law, sentenced one Mbaye Diouf to six years in prison and a fine of two million CFA francs. Under the new law of March 2026, perpetrators of “unnatural acts” face up to ten years in prison.
PressAfrik
