By Bruce Asemota
One Abdoulie Saine, a Senegalese, was on Wednesday convicted of robbing one Lamin Darboe, a police officer.
Appearing before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the High Court, Saine was charged and arraigned with two other compatriots; Modou Faye and Ousman Sarr on two counts of conspiracy to commit felony and robbery with violence.
They were alleged to have robbed traffic police officer Lamin Darboe using a broken bottle. They pleaded not guilty but the prosecution called six witnesses and tendered eight exhibits in support of its case whilst the accused persons testified alone in their defence.
Delivering judgment, Justice Jaiteh disclosed that the evidence adduced during the course of trial indicated that Lamin Darboe is the sole eye witness and also the victim of the offence alleged by the prosecution.
The Judge further disclosed that Lamin Darboe testified that he was robbed of his Tecno mobile phone, a cash amount of D1750 and when a search was conducted on Abdoulie Saine after his arrest, a Tecno mobile phone was found on him containing a sim card with telephone number 6609954.
Justice Jaiteh said other witnesses like Ebou Sowe, Sarjo Ceesay, Modou Loum and Lamin Darboe all testified that Abdoulie Saine was searched and a Tecno mobile phone, a broken bottle, a knife, a cash amount of D610 and a pair of scissors were found on him.
Justice Jaiteh asserted that the testimonies by the prosecution witnesses were not discredited during cross examination by the defence.
He further asserted that the Tecno mobile phone was very incriminating and that there is only one sim card with the number 6699054 belonging to Lamin Darboe.
Justice Jaiteh asked what was Lamin Darboe’s sim card doing inside the pocket of Abdoulie Saine if he was not involved in the robbery.
The judge further revealed that Lamin Darboe clearly identified Abdoulie Saine as the very person who stood in front of him near the Baobab tree at Serekunda market and eventually stabbed him with a broken bottle.
Justice Jaiteh disclosed that there was sufficient evidence to fix Abdoulie Saine at the scene of the crime, noting that Modou Faye and Ousman Sarr were searched by the police at the station and nothing incriminating was found on them.
The judge added that Abdoulie Saine in his defence raised an alibi, saying that he was never at the scene of the crime rather, he was at the ferry terminal in Banjul looking for a hotel to spend the night when he was arrested by the police.
Justice Jaiteh disclosed that the prosecution identified him as the very person arrested at Dippakunda who participated in the robbery with violence of Lamin Darboe, a mobile traffic police officer attached to Serekunda Police station.
The judge therefore convicted Abdoulie Saine of robbery with violence and subsequently acquitted and discharged Modou Faye and Ousman Sarr.
Meanwhile, the matter was adjourned to a later date for sentencing.
