Prosecutors alleged that Sandeng and Jallow, armed with a knife, robbed Ebou Njie on 30 September 2022 in Serekunda, Kanifing Municipality. They took a Tecno Pop 3 phone, a Nokia Windows phone, 5,040 dalasis in cash, an identity card and a voter’s card.
Both men pleaded not guilty. The prosecution called six witnesses and tendered seven exhibits. The accused testified in their defence but called no witnesses and tendered no exhibits.
In her judgment, Justice Jobarteh said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The evidence demonstrates a coordinated sequence of events beginning from the observation of the complainant, the execution of the robbery through complementary roles, the escape from the scene, and the subsequent handling of stolen property,” she said.
“Those circumstances collectively establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the Accused persons acted pursuant to a prior agreement to commit an unlawful act.”
On the robbery count, Justice Jobarteh said testimony from the first prosecution witness showed violence was used to facilitate the theft.
The complainant was “grabbed and physically subdued while his belongings were being taken,” she said. “The violence and stealing therefore formed one continuous transaction.”
The judge noted both accused denied knowing each other during oral testimony, yet their cautionary statements described “coordinated action undertaken jointly during the robbery.”
“The denial of acquaintance therefore sits uneasily alongside their earlier admissions and affects their credibility,” she said.
Justice Jobarteh found the prosecution had established that “actual violence was employed immediately during the taking of that property for the purpose of overcoming resistance and facilitating the theft.”
She convicted Sandeng and Jallow on both counts.
For conspiracy, the court handed each man a 4-year term. For robbery, punishable under section 273(2), they received 10 years each.
“The sentences shall run concurrently,” Justice Jobarteh ruled. They will take effect from 7 October 2022, when the men were first remanded, accounting for time already served.
The defence had argued the prosecution “woefully failed to prove the ingredients of the offences charged.” The prosecution said it had discharged the burden of proof and urged conviction.
The judgment was delivered after both sides filed briefs in March and April 2026.
