Man, 65, opens defence in rape case

A man believed to be 65 years old and a resident of Madiana village in the Kombo North District of the West Coast Region, who was accused of raping a minor recently opened his defence at the Special Criminal Court in Banjul.

Almamy Gibba, who claimed to be a farmer, denied the allegation that he had raped a 13-year-old girl in the village sometime last year.

Testifying, Gibba told the court that he never raped the victim.

“I did not say that what had happened was predestine by God,” Gibba stated, adding that the whole issue was a “fabricated lie” against him, because he was the deputy imam of the village mosque.

Gibba said they conspired against him, adding that on the day in question, the victim did not even set foot in his compound.

He said he has a wife, but now he is impotent.

Gibba further told the court that when a group of people went to his compound, they took him to one Abdoulie Sowe’s compound and later to the compound of the alkalo (village head).

The alkalo told him to go back until the following day, he said, adding: “When I went back, they had already conspired against me and they tied me up and beat me. They later abandoned me there until the following morning.”

At that juncture, he went on, the alkalo told him to report the matter to the police, adding that he later went to Brufut Police Station where the police wrote a statement, as he could not read and write.

The case continues.