The Bundung Magistrates’ Court, presided over by acting Principal Magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara, yesterday convicted and sentenced one Dodou Janneh to death for killing one Sheriff Minteh of London Corner.

Sheriff Minteh, a youth living in the Serrekunda suburb of London Corner, met his untimely death on the evening of 5th May 2007 when he was stabbed by Dodou Janneh during a police raid of suspected drug users.

The case that suffered numerous adjournments after two years of protracted trial had as the first witness, a reporter of the Daily Observer Company, Musa, Ndow as a defense witness.

In delivering her judgement in a packed courtroom, Magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara said the accused was charged for the offence of murder and he pleaded not guilty to the charges. She adduced that the prosecution called nine witnesses in support of their case while the defence called only two witnesses to defend their case.

She pointed out that the Prosecution witness one, a 14 year old boy, told the court that the accused person chased his brother, caught him and dragged him near the fence before stabbing him twice on the buttock. Magistrate Camara revealed that the evidence of PW1 corroborated the evidence of PW9, a medical personnel who examine the deceased and confirmed that the deceased sustained two injuries to his private parts and as a result of that, he suffered a serious loss of blood.

The Magistrate further stated that she holds it as a matter of fact that the prosecution witnesses evidence corroborated each other.

She further revealed that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the court finds the accused person guilty.

In his mitigation, defense counsel Lawyer Lamin S Camara stated that the convict is a young man and a first time offender and that he never involves himself in such acts. He added that the convict is feeling remorse and is a person who is rendering selfless service to the state.

He adduced that the convict is not married but is the breadwinner of his family and he urged the Magistrate to temper justice with mercy because, according to him, the court has the power to impose a lesser sentence to the victim. He then urged the court to take into consideration, the factors of his mitigation.

Magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara finally stated that having taken into consideration the factors of mitigation; she sentenced the convict to death to “deter others from doing it”.