The trial involving Lt. Col. Solo Bojang and others on Wednesday proceeds at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate S.K. Jobarteh with the testimony of the second prosecution witness (PW2).
In his testimony, Lamin Ceesay, a security officer, said he could recall on 20 November 2013, when he was at his office at Tanji and he confronted the 1st accused, solo Bojang, and read the cautionary wordings to him.
He said the accused wrote both the cautionary and voluntary statements and signed it in the presence of an independent witness, adding that the accused in his statements agreed to the offence he was charged with.
The cautionary and voluntary statements were shown to the witness and he identified it.
When it was shown to the 1st accused, Solo Bojang, he objected to the voluntary statement, saying he did not admit in the statement that he agreed to the offence he was charged with.
However, the court admitted the cautionary statement and marked as exhibit A.
The magistrate stated that she was going to admit the voluntary statement of the accused and mark it as exhibit, but the objection of the accused affected the weight of the statement which would be determined at the end of the trial.
Under cross-examination, the 1st accused asked the witness if he was present when the cattle were given out, but the witness said he was not present.
“I put it to you that I did not steal the cattle, I gave them out for the purpose they were meant for,” said the 1st accused.
The witness, in response, told the court that the accused mentioned it in his voluntary statement that he stole the cattle.
The accused further asked the witness whether he mentioned in the statement the villages were the cattle were meant for, the witness said yes, he did.
For his part, the 2nd accused asked the witness if he was not the one who obtained his statements; the witness replied that he did obtain cautionary and voluntary statements from him.
The case was adjourned till 23 December 2013.
The charge sheet on count one stated that the three accused persons, on 13 October 2013, at Kanilai and diverse places, being employees of Kanilai Family Farm, conspired among themselves to commit felony, thereby committed an offence.
Count two stated that the accused persons on the same date and place stole 9 heads of cattle valued at D180,000, being the property of Kanilai Family Farm, and thereby committed an offence.