Principal Magistrate Moses Richards of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, on Wednesday sentenced Drammeh Touray, a Sierra Leonian national to three years imprisonment with hard labour, after he was found guilty of being in possession of 11 stolen travellers' cheques from the UK and false French passports, contrary to laws of The Gambia.

The accused was hauled to the court after he had attempted to cash the cheques at the Standard Chartered Bank’s Serrekunda branch on 11 April 2007. According to the facts, suspicion on the ownership of the cheques in the bank prompted the Branch Manager to send a fax to the American Express Europe Limited offices for confirmation.

The authorities at the American Express Europe Limited then replied with on a fax, confirming that the 11 travellers' cheques were stolen during an armed robbery that took place in February 2006 in the UK, the facts revealed.

Delivering the judgement, Principal Magistrate Richards said the act committed by the accused was a serious offence and the accused was in possession of properties that were not only stolen, but also obtained in a robbery in a bank in the UK.

Principal Magistrate Richards described the accused as a dangerous person, who should not be trusted. He expressed the need to protect members of society from being victims of such an activity.

Magistrate Richards then sentenced Drammeh Touray to two years imprisonment on count one and one year in jail term on count two. The sentences are to run concurrently at the Janjangbureh Prisons in the Central River Region.