The Victim on the left…the convict on the right.
The High Court in Banjul, presided over by Justice Ebrima Jaiteh, has sentenced Augustine Bangura to death after finding him guilty of the brutal murder of British national Shakina Chinedu.
In a ruling delivered, Justice Jaiteh concluded that the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Bangura caused the death of Chinedu by striking her with a hammer and subsequently stealing her belongings.
The trial followed the filing of a bill of indictment by the State on March 22, 2024. The prosecution team comprised Counsel M. Singhateh, F. Drammeh, and M. Sarr, while Bangura was represented by Counsel F. T. Saho.
Bangura faced two charges: murder, contrary to Section 187 of the Criminal Code, and theft, contrary to Section 252. The murder charge alleged that on February 14, 2024, in Sinchang Village, West Coast Region, Bangura fatally struck Chinedu on the back of the neck with a hammer.
The theft charge stated that following the murder, Bangura stole several items belonging to the deceased, including a wristwatch, a tablet, a laptop, mobile phones, a camera, and flash drives. Bangura denied both charges throughout the proceedings.
To support its case, the prosecution called twelve witnesses, including police officers involved in the investigation, a businessman who interacted with the accused regarding the stolen items, and a phone technician who had purchased some of the belongings. The State also submitted 21 exhibits as evidence—among them, photographs, video footage from the crime scene, the alleged murder weapon, items recovered from the accused, and call logs linking Bangura to the victim.
Despite efforts by the defence to challenge the credibility of the prosecution’s case during cross-examination, Bangura’s denial of the charges failed to convince the court.
In delivering his judgment, Justice Jaiteh found Bangura guilty on both counts. He was sentenced to death for the murder and an additional fifteen years in prison for theft.
This case marks a significant conclusion to a high-profile trial that drew public attention both locally and internationally due to the violent nature of the crime and the nationality of the victim.