Woman 49 Convicted For Assault

 

Photo: Ba-Amidou Njie (the victim)

 

 

By Ousman A Marong

The principal magistrate Anna O. Mendy of the Essau magistrate's court has convicted and sentenced one Fatou Joof of M’bollet-Ba village in Lower Niumi District (NBR), to a fine of five thousand dalasi (5000), in default to serve one year imprisonment for assaulting one Ba-Amidou Njie.

The court further ordered the culprit to pay one hundred and fifty thousand dalasi (150,000), as a compensation to the victim failure of which will see her to serve another 2-year jail term.

Madam Joof, conviction and sentencing came after the court found her guilty on a single count of assault causing actual bodily harm to Ba-Amidou Njie.

According to the particulars of offence revealed that Fatou Joof on or about 20 January 2023 at M’bollet-Ba village in Lower Nuimi District of North Bank Region (NBR), assaulted Ba-Amidou Njie, a 16-Year-Old boy with a stick all over his body, injured him on his right eye and she pleaded guilty to the charged.

At that juncture, the court ordered the prosecutor to narrate the facts, which he did and tendered a bunch of exhibits.

Among them, a bunch of photos showing the face of the victim as A1-A3. A medical certificate bearing the name of Ba-Amidou Njie of M’bollet-Ba village dated 25 January 2023 as AA.

A voluntary statement of the accused person Fatou Joof as A5 and A cautionary statement of the accused as A6.

The accused Fatou Joof, did not objected to the admissibility of the exhibits. She further called by court to react to the facts as narrated by the prosecution. She reacted to the facts in the affirmative.

Before the sentenced was passed on the convict, she begged the court to temper justice with mercy.

However, the trial magistrate, told the court that, the convict madam Joof, did not waste court's time, and indeed remorseful and she has no previous conviction

In passing her sentencing, magistrate Mendy, said: "I am, therefore, satisfied that the accused intended to plead guilty. Her guilty plea to my mind is direct voluntary and unequivocal. I am further satisfied that fact's narrated has articulated the ingredients of the offence to warrant a conviction.. I accordingly fine you Fatou Joof, guilty as charged.

I, therefore, fine you Fatou Joof to a fine of five thousand dalasi in default to serve one year in prison. And a compensation of one hundred and fifty thousand dalasi to the victim Ba-Amidou Njie, in default to serve two years in prison. All the sentences shall run consecutive.

She reminds the convict of her right to appeal.