By Amadou Jadama
A 41-year-old Senegalese national, accused of causing the death of one Mariama Jaw by hitting her with a pestle on the head, was arraigned yesterday.
Mario Mendy appeared before Magistrate Anna Mendy of the Brikama court charged with a single count of murder.
Mario, who was not represented, was said to have caused the death of Ms Jaw in Lamin Kerewan.
When the charge was read and translated to him by a court interpreter in Wollof, Mr Mendy denied the charge, telling the court: “I wasn’t even present there on the day that the killing happened. I only called the victim to give her her money because I couldn’t get hold of her mother.”
According to the bill of indictment filed by police prosecutors Superintendent M Camara and ASP Buteh Sawaneh, the incident happened in early May in a village in Lamin Kerewan in the West Coast Region
ASP Sawaneh made an application for the case to be transferred to the Special Criminal Division of the High Court in Banjul. “We want to make an application before this court because the offence that the accused person is charged with is murder,” he told the magistrate, “Pursuant to section 62 of the CPC and that the accused person be remanded under 208 (A) of CPC pending his appearance at the high court.”
The presiding magistrate then adjourned the case to Wednesday to determine whether or not to transfer the case.
Accordingly, she ordered the accused person be remanded at Mile 2.
