By Amadou Jadama in Kaur CRR
The Kaur Magistrate’s Court yesterday sentenced one Demba Touray to a two-year mandatory jail term for using a machete to slash the mouth and break three teeth of Yai Jaiteh, a grade 12 pupil of Kaur Senior Secondary School.
According to Police Prosecutor Banjugu Njie, on 13 November 2023, Mr Touray assaulted the young girl near the Kaur Janneh Kunda junction in Lower Saloum, causing her serious bodily harm.
He was charged with a single count of assault and pleaded guilty.
At the end of the trial, Touray was convicted and begged the court for forgiveness.
In handing down the sentence, Magistrate MF Fofana said the convict was a first time offender and was a young man who had his life ahead of him.
“I shall consider the convict’s mitigation and temper justice with mercy in the circumstances. But in as much as I temper justice with mercy, I shall remind the convict that the offence with which he is found guilty is a very serious one which attracts an imprisonment of up to five years, ” Magistrate Fofana said.
He added: “The convict in my view has not shown sufficient remorse from the onset of this case. He has taken the law into his hands and assaulted an innocent student who had not done anything to warrant her maltreatment. It is quite unfortunate that the convict, at this stage of his life, has turned to be a bandit, than a responsible citizens”.
He said the law must take its course and the sentence would send a signal to the convict and the public and serve as deterrent.
Demba Touray was then sentenced to two years imprisonment and ordered to pay D25,000 compensation to Yai Jaiteh in the sum of D25,000, in default to serve another one year in prison with hard labour.
The principal of Kaur Senior Secondary School, Amet Jeng Sey, told this paper that they were satisfied with the judgement.
He stated: “The youths should engage in productive activities and not dabble in criminal activities. I was informed the convict was a dropout. He should have continued with his education. The convict was involved in another case and went on to commit this crime. In fact in the morning before this case was called, he was smoking cannabis in the court premises and was arrested by the magistrate’s orderly and when searched, bundles of cannabis were found on him. DLEAG officers were contacted and immediately after the judgement was delivered on the assault case, he was picked up by the drug squad officers.”
