Woman testifies in abortion case

One Fatoumatta Jallow recently testified in the trial of one Sankary Drammeh, accused of supplying drugs or instruments to procure abortion, before Magistrate Gomez of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.

Jallow told the court that she lives in Kotu and works as a cleaner, adding that she could recall what happened on 7 December 2014.

On that day, she went to visit a friend called Fatoumatta Bah at her compound in Kotu, where the accused also came into the compound and she heard people calling him doctor.

She enquired from her friend whether the accused is a doctor and the friend replied in the affirmative, as he was the one who performed their children’s circumcision.

She then greeted the accused, and told him that she was pregnant, and wanted to abort it.

The accused then said he could abort the pregnancy, and charge her D500, she told the court.

She took the money to the accused and, after paying, he told her that he was going out. Then between 5 and 6 pm in the evening, the accused called her and told her to meet at Kotu-Manjai highway, which she did.

The accused gave her ten tablets, and explained to her how to administer the tablets by drinking 5 tablets in the evening, she said, adding that the following morning, her pregnancy got aborted.

Then she started bleeding and, when the bleeding stopped, she took her wrapper and wiped the blood.

She added that on a Monday evening while she was at home,  police officers came and asked for her, adding that she was arrested and taken to Kotu Police Station.

At the police station, she was interrogated and she explained exactly what happened. She was questioned as to who gave her the tablets for the abortion.

She told them that it was the accused, Sankary Drammeh, and was escorted by the police to the accused’s compound, where the police conducted a search of the house and some equipment were found.

The accused was arrested and taken to Kotu Police Station; was interrogated about the equipment.

She was escorted to Banjul hospital, where she was asked, and told them that she was three months pregnant.

The doctor examined her and she was escorted back to Kotu Police Station where her statement was recorded.

The case was adjourned to 13 April 2015.