Karamba Ceesay, the second accused person in an alleged theft case, on 18 July 2011, testified in his defence in the case involving him and three others at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Tabally.
Mr Ceesay was arraigned alongside Omar Gassama, Edrisa Camara, and Mbye Kebbeh on charges of stealing and receiving stolen property, a charge they have all denied.
Testifying before the court, the accused admitted committing the offence as alleged, saying: “We stole all the items from the factory,” adding that some were stolen by him and some by his co-accused.
He also revealed that what he stole were the remaining pieces of the welders.
Admitting he did steal on his own, the accused said those stolen pieces were what he put into a bag and sold to the fourth accused person, Mbye Kebbeh.
Still in his defence, the second accused said that when the incident was discovered, his co-accused were the first to be arrested before he was arrested the following day.
He told the court he was arrested by the factory owners, Modou Sillah and Lang Jammeh.
He noted that he was then escorted to the police station at Kanifing. “At the station, I admitted committing the offence,” the accused said, adding that he told them at the station that what he had stolen was half bag of irons for which he was paid D150.
The case at that juncture was adjourned till 26 July 2011.
According to the charge sheet, the accused persons, Omar Gassama, Karamba Ceesay and Edrisa Camara on 17 March 2011, at Sankung Sillah & Sons Company Ltd, stole machine spare parts and iron pipes valued at D174,900, the property of Sankung Sillah & Sons Company Ltd.
Count two alleged that Mbye Kebbeh on 20 March 2011, at Bambo Cement, received machine spare parts and iron pipes from the 1st , 2nd and 3rd accused at a price of D800, knowing or having reason to believe that the items were stolen or unlawfully obtained.
