Rash, negligent act lands driver in court

A driver was on 10 January 2011 arraigned before Magistrate Tabally of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court charged with rash and negligent act causing death.

Abdou Ngum pleaded guilty to the charge and was granted bail of D500,000 with two Gambia sureties, all of whom must deposit their tittle deeds with the court.

According to the charge sheet, on 1 January 2011, the accused, Abdou Ngum, drove a motor vehicle with registration number BJL 8094C along Serrekunda Banjul highway opposite GTTI in a rash and negligent manner, thereby caused the death of one Jarju Sey Jawo.

Narrating the facts, prosecutor Mballow stated that the incident took place on1 January 2011 when the defendant was driving a motor vehicle registration number BJL 8094C

“He took a fast lane at an unreasonable speed while the deceased, Jarju Sey Jawo, and his friend Abdoulie Bah were crossing over,” Mballow told the court.

He said that before they crossed over, the defendant made an attempt to swap over the slow lane and eventually knocked the two pedestrians and the vehicle rested off the road near Barban Enterprise.

Prosecutor Mballow further narrated that another driver by the name Amadou Secka quickly rushed to the victims and took them to the RVTH for medical attention.

“At the RVTH, the victim was pronounced dead,” he said.

He revealed further that the matter was reported to the Mobile Traffic Unit from where Sergeant 1422 Touray visited the place the accident occurred and sketched the scene.

He adduced that the defendant signed the sketched plan done by the police. The plan revealed the point of impact and its resting point as 13.20cm.

Inspector Mballow told the court that the defendant was escorted to the Police Mobile Unit where he was later served with a warning letter, adding that his cautionary and voluntary statements were recorded, which he signed.

Postmortem on Jarju Sey Jawo, the death certificate of Jarju Sey Jawo, the cautionary and voluntary statement of the defendant, the warning letter and the sketched plan were admitted and tendered as exhibits in court.

The case was then adjourned until 13 January 2011.