7 years for a burglar

The Brikama Magistrates' Court recently convicted and sentenced one Abdoulie Kebbeh to a mandatory jail term of seven years for burglary.

Magistrate Babucarr Secka administered the sentence, following the convicted man's own plea of guilty for the offence of shop breaking.

According to the particulars of offence, on 20 October 2010, at Kombo Kerewan in Kombo North district, West Coast Region, the convicted Abdoulie Kebbeh "wilfully" broke into the shop of one Amara Gumaneh with intent to commit a felony to wit stealing.

The facts of the case as presented by the police prosecutor, First Class 2259 Ceesay, revealed that on 20 October 2010 at around 3am in Kombo Kerewan, one Momodou, a security guard at Kombo Kerewan Upper Basic School, had a noise at the shop of Amara Gumaneh.

He narrated that the said security guard went and informed one Pateh Fatty that someone had broken into the shop of the said Amara Gumaneh.

Prosecutor Ceesay further narrated that Pateh Fatty went to the shop and found that the padlock was broken and he then took a new padlock and locked the shop while the convict was inside the shop.

Pateh, the prosecutor added, then called the complainant through a mobile phone and informed him.

The complainant came and with the help of Momodou and Pateh Fatty, the convict was arrested and taken to New Yundum Police Station.

He said the shop was visited by the police officers, who took pictures of the scene.

The dagger and the pictures were later tendered in court as exhibits without any objection from the convict.

In his plea of mitigation, the convicted man begged the court to temper justice with mercy.