One Lamin Manneh, a suspected Guinean living in Brufut, was arraigned before the Bundung Magistrates Court, presided over by Senior Magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara, charged on two counts.

Count one states that Mr Manneh broke into the house of one Saikou Fatty, with the intention to commit felony. And on count two, the accused allegedly stole the following items: a pair of short jean trousers; a pair of long jean trousers; one long sleeve shirt; one short sleeve shirt; a pair of sports shoes; and a radio player, all belonging to Saikou Fatty.
The accused has pleaded guilty to both counts.

According to the facts of the case, the complainant had gone on a breakfast shopping spree when, before his return home, some of his properties went missing.

The plaintiff’s immediate suspect happened to be the accused, since he was said to have made several attempts to steal in the same compound. He [the accused] was later arrested, after the matter was reported to the Brufut Police Intervention Post.

It later emerged that he had since sold the stolen items to some unknown person, something he admitted before the court, asking for justice to be tempered with mercy.
Senior Magistrate KS Camara eventually found the accused guilty on counts one and two, and he was subsequently convicted.

In her judgment, on count one, the judge sentenced the accused to one-year imprisonment, with hard labour, without any option of a fine. And on count two, he was sentenced to one year imprisonment, in addition to a fine of D5,000, as compensation for the complainant, in default of which fine the convict would serve six months imprisonment.

All sentences shall run consecutively, after which the convict is set to be deported to Guinea-Bissau, unless he is able to present his Gambian national ID card, as he had, during the trial, claimed to be a Gambia citizen.
Corporal 1781 Kinteh represented the IGP.