The murder case involving one Awa Sanyang continued yesterday at the Special Criminal Court in Banjul before Justice Emmanuel Nkea, with the testimony of the second prosecution witness (PW2), ASP Lamin Cham.
Designated as PW2, ASP Lamin Cham told the court he is a police officer attached to the major crime squad as the station officer.
ASP Cham added that he was part of the investigating team that investigated the death of the deceased person, one Isatou Bojang, and after the completion of the investigation, he wrote a witness statement.
He said during the investigation, he also recorded a statement from the son of the deceased in the presence of the grandparents of the son, adding that he is the station officer of the major crime squad that investigates all murder cases across the country.
According to PW2, he received a telephone call from his OC, Superintendent Boto Keita, informing him about the murder case, and instructed him to lead a team to investigate the case.
He also informed Sergeant Yerro Saidy to join him at the Brusubi Police Station, adducing further that he and the team of investigators from the scientific support unit, including the accused person, Awa Sanyang, visited the scene of the crime.
“At the scene of crime, I personally asked the accused what happened, and the accused told us that somebody called Amadou went to their house and fought with the deceased, Isatou Bojang, in the sitting room, which resulted in the death of the deceased.
ASP Cham further told the court that he asked the accused where the fighting took place, and she said in the sitting room.
“I told her that everything in the palour was in place, and there is no blood stain; everywhere is neat. The accused did not answer the question, and she started crying,” ASP Cham said.
He narrated that they further went to the room of the deceased, and everything in the room of the deceased was in place, he said, adding that when they asked the accused to lead them to her own room she refused and started crying.
“She later led us to her room, where every place in the room was stained with blood,” he told the court, pointing out that they recovered a wooden stick and an electrical iron, which they took along to their office.
The witness identified the said objects in court and the prosecution applied to tender them as exhibits, which were accordingly admitted and marked as exhibits without any objection from the defence.
The accused denied seeing the mobile phone of the deceased at the Brusubi Police Station, he stated, adding that upon interrogation, the accused person confessed that she had a quarrel with the deceased, and they fought in her own room, and she beat the deceased with a wooden stick, and used the electrical iron on her face, and the deceased fell down.
He said that at that juncture, he invited an independent witness called Alhagie Sanneh.
The accused was cautioned and charged in the presence of the independent witness, adding that when they went through the phone calls of the accused they noticed that the accused had called two people, and they invited those two people at the Brusubi Police Station.
“We also discovered that after the death of the deceased, the accused visited one Isatou Sanyang’s home where she took shower and changed her clothes, and washed the ones she had worn during the alleged fighting,” ASP Cham added.
Isatou Sanyang left with Sergeant Yerro to collect the clothes she had worn, and Isatou confirmed to them that she borrowed the accused the clothes she wore, adding that after some time they discovered that the accused had kept the mobile of the deceased in the sofa chair at the sitting room, and they also discovered that the accused stole the money of the deceased, amounting to D11, 100.
“We received this information after visiting the accused at Mile 2, and the money was kept in the hole of a flower bed at the left corner of the house,” he stated.
The money and the mobile were admitted and marked as exhibits.
He said at the end of the investigation, he assigned Sergeant Yerro Saidy to compile the case file, which Saidy did, adding that when they put on the mobile, it had the photo of the deceased.
The case continues.
