Health Personnel Set Free

The Brikama Magistrates' Court on Monday acquitted and discharged one Muhammed Waggeh, a public health officer, who had been standing trial for the offence of common assault.

In his submission on a no-case-to-answer his defence counsel Kebba Sanyang told the court that his client should not have been charged in the first place.

According to him, it was the complainant who should have been charged with assault instead, as she was the person who misbehaved at the health centre.

He said his client as a public health officer had the power while on duty to caution anybody who misbehaved at the health centre.

In response, the police prosecutor disagreed with the defence counsel's submission, arguing that the accused had a case to answer.

In delivering the ruling, the presiding magistrate John Njie stated that he had carefully considered the totality of the evidence and found that the prosecution had woefully failed to prove their case beyond all reasonable doubt. He therefore acquitted and discharged the accused.