Recently,
magistrate Fatou Darboe of the Kanifing magistrates’ court ordered one Abdoulie
Bah, who was convicted, to pay the sum of D400,000 as compensation to one
Sainey Jallow, who prosecutors said was stabbed by Abdoulie Bah, causing him
grievous bodily harm.
This followed Abdoulie Bah’s plea of guilty.
The particulars of offence stated that on 23 May 2014, at the Gambia Football House complex in the Kanifing Municipality, the convict, Abdoulie Bah, unlawfully assaulted Sainey Jallow by stabbing him on the left eye with a knife leaving the blade of the knife there for eight hours, causing him grievous bodily harm and thereby committed an offence.
Abdoulie Bah begged the court to temper justice with mercy in his mitigation plea.
In her judgment, magistrate Darboe told the court that she had carefully listened to the plea of lenience and had also considered the fact that the convict was a first-time offender, and had not wasted the court’s time.
However, she said, the law must take its course, adding that justice must be done.
She added that usually the intention motivating criminal conduct is implied from what has been done, and the manner in which it was done.
Magistrate Darboe adduced that the offence of assault causing grievous bodily harm is defined in the criminal code.
“In my humble opinion, the offence of assault causing grievous bodily harm was carried out with violence, malice and aforethought which is clearly defined in the criminal code,” she told the court.
She stated further that a medical report which was tendered showed that the nature of the injury was serious.
She, therefore, sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment and imposed a compensation of D400,000 in default to serve two years in prison.
ASP Mballow represented the IGP.
