Briton's trial to continue tomorrow

Brikama magistrates' court in Western Region will later tomorrow continue trial proceedings in the case of a British national, this paper has learnt reliably.

Francisco Bart Venlie is on Thursday expected to appear before magistrate John Njie at the Brikama Magistrates' Court where his trial for allegedly firing a single-barrel gun in the air is at an advanced stage. The shooting incident allegedly happened in the desolate hamlet of Kendisebel, few kilometres of Tujereng in Kombo South.

Meanwhile testifying in the case earlier this month, Francisco recollected that it was one fine morning when he saw a group of people embarking on a truck and then decided that he should record the registration number of the vehicle. He adds that as he was writing the number, a group of people disembarked from the truck, yelled at him and ordered him to stop what he was doing. With the intervention of one of my witnesses, recalled Francisco, the unknown was averted.

Still testifying, Francisco claimed that he had, a day after the truck palaver, decided to visit a plot of land which was entrusted in his care.  According to him, when he arrived at the place, he saw a number of people with some armed with cutlasses and were approaching them from a radius of 50m. It was then that I fired a shot in air and the crowd dispersed, he added. Thereafter, said Francisco, one Sambujang Fatty came from nowhere to take his bag whilst the gun was taken by one Alagi who held him at gunpoint. This was followed by a surge of crowd pushing me, but in the process, I managed to take out my pistol but I neither fired a shot nor point the pistol at anyone, he posited.

The case resumes tomorrow.