Justice Emmanuel Nkea of the Special criminal Court in
Banjul has decided to hold a mini trial in the Brusubi murder case involving
one Awa Sanyang.
This was after the defence counsel objected to the tendering of the 2nd statement obtained from the accused person, and asked the court to conduct a mini trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the statement.
Inspector Lamin Colley, a police officer attached to the Brusubi Police Station, Tuesday told the court that the suspect was never beaten at the time a cautionary statement was being obtained from her.
The suspect was never forced to thumb-print her statement, and the statement which was obtained from her was voluntarily obtained in the presence of an independent witness, he said.
Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, the witness added that the suspect came on her own to report the case at the police station with the children of the deceased person.
One of the children of the deceased told the police that he saw a scuffled between their mother and the accused, he said, adding that the accused said the deceased had a fight with one Hamet whom, she alleged, killed the deceased, Isatou Bojang.
Inspector Colley added that the accused was shivering while she was giving the story, raising suspicion that the story was false.
He added that he recorded the second voluntary statement based on the fact that she had confessed to a fight with the deceased person, while she was ironing, used the electric iron on the face of the deceased, and also assaulted her with a wooden baton.
He said during the long interrogation, the accused person was never tortured and she was never forced to thumb-print any statement.
Further hearing was adjourned till 19thDecember 2012.
