By Ousman Saidykan
One Alpha Jallow has been arraigned at the Kanifing Magistrates Court. He is charged with stealing from a vehicle and malicious injury to property contrary to Section 256(c) and 312 respectively of the Criminal Code Cap 10:01 Vol. 3 Laws of The Gambia 2009.
The Guinean adult is said to have broken the windscreen of a vehicle in April 2022, with registration number BJL 1172K worth D3,500 belonging to one Alagie Jammeh.
Alpha has also been accused of stealing motor spare wheel and top cylinder worth D5,000 and D15,000 respectively in Bakoteh in April 2022 belonging Alagie Jammeh. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The witness to testify in the case is Alagie Jammeh, the owner of the vehicle who said he took the vehicle to one Ismaila, a mechanic to fix it after it got a break down.
“After two days, I received a call from the mechanic who told me the the windscreen had been broken – and that I had to take from the garage until I buy a new engine.
“So, I took it back to IEC because they were the ones who suppose to buy the the engine having rented the vehicle to them during the last Presidential Election where it got breakdown,” Jammeh told the court.
Jammeh, who is a driver continued that he took back the car to the garage as the IEC bought the engine a few day after. However, he explained the mechanic told him the vehicle could not be serviced on that day, but he (the mechanic) would ask two of his apprentices to sleep in the vehicle overnight for fear of thieves.
“So that night the he (the accused) went to the vehicle with a torchlight but ran away as soon as he saw the two boys in the the car.
“The boys wanted to attack him but one told the other that they should wait until their boss comes to report him.
According to the witness the boss, Ismaila called him and explained the issue to him. He told the court that the Alpha told him that he only took the spare Wheel but he returned it after the boys saw him.
“I also asked him to lead me to the person he sold the material to so I could get them even if it means buying them back,” witness said.
But Alpha denied all that. He asked the witness, “did you see me taking the Wheel?”
He replied: “You told me you took the wheel but it was out side. But the wheel was in the vehicle, so you could not access the vehicle without breaking the windscreen.
The case was adjourned till Wednesday, 27th July 2022 while the accused was granted bail in the same of D100,000 and two Gambian sureties with valid ID Cards.
