Magistrate Mustapha Camara of the Kanifing Municipal Court, yesterday sentenced 3 taxi drivers, namely, Malick Secka, Usainou Sanyang and Ousman Camara, for driving without proper license, obstruction of traffic and failure to stop when asked by a traffic police officer on duty.

According to the facts before the court, Malick Secka, the first acused person, with vehicle registeration number BJL 1354C, was on the 9th of May at around 3: o’clock to 3:30 am asked to stop by the traffic police, but he refused.
 
According to the prosecution witness, Suba Jallow, from the Mobile Traffic Unit, he and his team had gone out on patrol around Kotu... “the accused person saw us coming and took a U-turn,” he said.

He continued that Malick Secka was followed in hot pursuit by the police patrol crew, who later got him arrested. He said that the vehicle was thoroughly searched and a goat was found inside it.

In his plea of mitigation, Malick Secka, who pleaded guilty, asked for mercy.

In his ruling, Magistrate Camara fined the accused the sum of D3,000.000 in default to serve six months in jail.

The second accused person, Ousman Camara, also a taxi driver, was charged with driving a vehicle without proper driving license, contrary to the laws of The Gambia. However, Magistrate Camara told the court that since the accused was a first time offender, he would pay the sum of D2,000, in default to serve three months jail. And the third accused person, Ousainou Sanyang, a taxi driver as well, also got his share after facing charges on traffic obstruction, contrary to Section 84(A) of the Traffic Act.

Magistrate Camara ordered him to pay the amount of five hundred dalasis D500.00, in default to serve six months in prison.

At the end of the proceeding, Magistrate Camara warned drivers to abide by the laws governing their proffesion, promising that his court would not allow any reckless drivers to go scout free.  He urged the police to beef-up their security so as to free the country from “dangerous and unscsrupulus elements.”