Cannabis suspect gets suspended sentence

The narcotics court of the Banjul Magistrates' Court recently imposed a suspended sentence of three years on one Sulayman Njie, a resident of Sukuta village, following his own plea of guilt for being in possession of 840 grams of the prohibited drug cannabis.

Presiding Magistrate Hilary Abeke also ordered that the suspected cannabis be destroyed by the National Drug Enforcement Agency and the registrar of the court. 

According to the particulars of offence, the accused person on 6th July 2010, at Brusubi in the Western Region was found in possession of 840grams of cannabis sativa a prohibited drug.

Lawyer EE Chime represented the accused person, and told the court that the accused is a first-time offender. The accused is a young man who has pleaded guilty to the charge without wasting the court's time, and was even repentant of what he had done, counsel added.

The accused person is still a child, and a custodial sentence would not tell well on the family, the lawyer went on, and then urged the court to temper justice with mercy, by releasing him.

Magistrate Hilary U Abeke, in his judgment, said after listening to the mitigation plea of the counsel, the accused person would be released based on the factors raised by the counsel.

Consequently, he sentenced the accused person to keep the peace for a period of three years, and enter into his own recognizance with two Gambian as sureties who must deposit their title deeds with the assistant registrar of the court.