By Amadou Jadama in Farafenni
Magistrate M F Fofana of the Farafenni court has yesterday convicted and sentenced one Alagie Faye to a fine of D50,000 in default to serve 2 years in prison for raping a student, aged 13.
The trial magistrate further ordered the convict to pay a compensation of D50,000 to the victim who cannot be named.
Mr Faye initially denied the charge, but later changed his plea to guilty.
However, the court asked Sub Inspector A Sonko, the prosecuting officer to narrate the facts of the case.
He disclosed that the incident happened on 7 June last year.
“On that particular day, when the mother went out, Alagie Faye went inside the victim’s room whilst she was just from taking bath, pushed her on her mother’s bed, removed her underwear and had sex with her,” the policeman said.
He continued to reveal that after, when the the victim came from the toilet, Faye went after her and had sex with her for the second time.
“A few months later, on 30 October to be exact, whilst the victim was in her classroom, she fell down and was crying complaining of stomach pain and was rushed to Kerr Pateh hospital where she gave birth to a premature baby.”
“The baby did not come with life and the mother of the victim reported the matter to Njaba Kunda Police Station and later to Farafenni Police Station who arrested, cautioned and charged the accused with the offense committed”, SI Sonko concluded.
The convict cried for mercy and vowed he would never repeat such an offence.
Delivering his sentencing, Magistrate Fofana said the convict is a young man who has all his life ahead of him and he would therefore exercise his powers vested in him by the law to temper justice with mercy
“But in doing so, I will not lose sight of the offence of which the convict is found guilty because rape is a very serious offence and the punishment attached carries an imprisonment for not less than 10 years. It is the duty of the courts to ensure that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are punished according to law in order to serve as a deterrent in our societies,” he said.
“Inasmuch as I intend to exercise mercy, I shall in the same vein hasten to state that the convict’s behaviour towards the innocent child of 13 years is unacceptable, barbaric and ungodly. The convict had taken advantage of the victim’s vulnerability to achieve his ungodly desires. Since there is affidavit, exhibit P3 indicating that the family of the victim have forgiven the convict wholeheartedly, I shall accept the said exhibit sworn both by the father and the mother of the victim in favour of the convict, “he added.
