Bundung High Court Sentences Man to Life in Prison for Rape of 8-Year-Old Girl

Justice I. Janneh

In a case that has drawn sharp condemnation from the bench, a judge in Bundung High Court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the rape of an 8-year-old girl, a crime the jurist described as that of “a cancer in society.”

Justice I. Janneh handed down the life sentence to Amadou Wurry Barry after finding him guilty of a single count of rape under Section 3(1) of the Sexual Offences Act, 2013. The charges stemmed from an assault on May 3, 2022, in the Tippa Garage area, where prosecutors said Mr. Barry forcefully attacked the young victim.

During a trial that featured testimony from six prosecution witnesses, the state, led by W.S. Madu, sought to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Among the pivotal witnesses was Muhammed Trawally, who testified that he discovered the assault after hearing a cry for help while looking for a place to urinate. He told the court that he found Mr. Barry engaged in a sexual act with the child, who had been forced to stand on a 20-liter plastic gallon. The witness said Mr. Barry attempted to strike him with an iron rod before fleeing on a bicycle, but he was pursued and apprehended with the help of bystanders.

The victim, who testified in camera, recounted that the accused approached her from behind as she returned from the market, took her to a carpentry workshop, and assaulted her. She identified Mr. Barry in court as her attacker.

Her mother testified that the attack occurred on the second day of Koriteh, the Eid al-Fitr feast. She described her daughter returning home in visible distress and later suffering from injuries that caused the child pain for days.

Medical evidence further bolstered the prosecution’s case. Dr. Yaya Bah testified that a clinical examination revealed a three-centimeter tear in the victim’s perineal region, along with vaginal bruises and blood clots. Though laboratory swabs tested negative for sperm, Dr. Bah noted that such a result could be a “false negative” because of the time elapsed before the examination or because the child had cleaned herself. He maintained that the physical findings were highly consistent with forceful sexual penetration.

Mr. Barry, testifying as the sole witness for his defense, pleaded not guilty. He claimed that he was a baker traveling to purchase flour when he was intercepted by a mob, beaten unconscious, and robbed of 35,000 dalasis, his bicycle, and two phones. He dismissed the testimonies of the eyewitness and the victim as fabrications.

But Justice Janneh found his defense “implausible” and “internally unreliable.” The judge noted that Mr. Barry’s own cautionary statement to the police had admitted he was at the scene and that the victim had followed him into a workshop bathroom—a direct contradiction of his later testimony denying any interaction.

Because the victim was 8 years old, Justice Janneh said, the law automatically established “coercive circumstances” under Section 3(2) of the Sexual Offences Act. The judge added that the eyewitness account, medical evidence, and the defendant’s contradictory statements provided corroboration “more than amply satisfied” by the prosecution.

Before sentencing, defense counsel F.C. Anyanwu pleaded for mercy, noting that Mr. Barry was a first-time offender and a father. But Justice Janneh, citing the Sentencing Guideline for Rape and the mandatory requirements of the law, was unmoved.

“A rapist is worse than an animal,” the judge said, echoing language from the Supreme Court. “He is a cancer in society.”

Classifying the crime as “Category 1” — denoting the highest level of harm and culpability — because of the victim’s extreme youth and the severity of her injuries, Justice Janneh said she found no substantial or compelling circumstances to warrant leniency. She sentenced Mr. Barry to life imprisonment under Section 4(1)(a)(iii)(bb) of the Sexual Offences Act, 2013.

Mr. Barry was informed of his right to appeal the decision.