By Bruce Asemota
Justice Sainabou Wadda-Cisse of the Hight Court yesterday sentenced one Babucarr Makanbou to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of rape.
Babucarr was also sentenced to three years imprisonment for impersonating a PIU officer.
He was found to have sometime in November, 2018 at the Independence Stadium represented himself to the survivor as a PIU officer and raped her, threatening her with a knife.
The prosecution led by state counsel Muhammed B. Sowe called seven witnesses to prove the offences.
The convict in his plea of mitigation informed the court that he has 8 children who depend on him for their livelihood.
He begged the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that his wife had abandoned his children and absconded, leaving him and his children helpless.
The trial Judge pointed out that having considered the submissions made by both the state and the defence counsels, it is evident that the act of the convict was dehumanising.
She hailed the survivor for the courage she had in prosecuting the case as she was assaulted and subjected to the most violent harm.
Justice S.W. Cisse stated that the convict had subjected his victim to trauma for the rest of her life.
The Judge accordingly declared that she would impose a maximum penalty on the convict to serve as a deterrent to other would-be offenders, noting that the court will not condone such a heinous crime being committed in the society.
