Mariama Jallow, the accused.
The murder trial of Mariama Jallow, who stands accused of fatally stabbing 16-year-old Cherno Manneh, continued Monday at the High Court with detailed testimony from a police officer who was among the first to arrive at the scene.
Ms. Jallow faces a charge of murder under Section 187 of the Gambian Criminal Code in connection with the November 29, 2023, incident in Brufut Santosu. Prosecutors allege that she acted with malice aforethought when she stabbed Mr. Manneh in the chest, causing his death. Ms. Jallow has pleaded not guilty.
Testifying for the prosecution, Sergeant Babanding Jarju of the Anti-Crime Unit told the court that his team was alerted to the incident by a member of the Brufut Village Development Committee. Upon arriving at the accused’s residence, the officers found a tense scene: community members had gathered outside, some attempting to attack Ms. Jallow, who had locked herself inside.
Sergeant Jarju testified that after introducing himself as a police officer, he questioned Ms. Jallow through the door. According to his account, she admitted to the stabbing and was asked to surrender the weapon. She then retrieved a green kitchen knife from her suitcase and handed it over to the officers.
When shown a knife in court, Sergeant Jarju identified it as the one recovered from Ms. Jallow’s home. The prosecution, led by State Counsel F. Drammeh, successfully moved to admit the knife into evidence without objection from the defense. The weapon was marked as Exhibit P3.
Sergeant Jarju told the court that Ms. Jallow was subsequently arrested and transported to the Brufut police station for further processing.
Under cross-examination, the officer confirmed that the report initially came from a member of the Village Development Committee, who informed the police that a murder had occurred and that the community had surrounded the suspect’s home.
The defense questioned whether Sergeant Jarju had seen the victim’s body prior to approaching Ms. Jallow’s residence. “I saw the body. We picked up the body and divided ourselves — some officers went to her house, others took the body,” he said.
The sergeant confirmed that the team first attended to the victim, whom they found unresponsive, before proceeding to Ms. Jallow’s home. “I knocked at her door and asked her whether she is Mariama Jallow, who committed the murder, and she confirmed I asked for the knife she used, and it was produced.”
When pressed on how the officers identified the weapon as the murder instrument, Sergeant Jarju responded, “That was what was reported to us.”
He confirmed that the victim sustained a stab wound to the chest and that the knife was later logged into the police exhibit store at the Brufut charge office.
When asked to clarify who received the knife at the station, Sergeant Jarju said he could not recall but indicated that the police station diary would contain the relevant details. Stating, “I can’t remember but the police diary would tell.”
The defense also inquired about the condition of the knife at the time of its recovery. Sergeant Jarju testified that the blood on the weapon was red when collected but acknowledged that its appearance may have changed over time. “It can change because it has been a long time now after the incident,” he said.
With no further questions from the defense and no re-examination by the prosecution, the witness was discharged.
Justice Omar Cham adjourned the trial to July 7, 2025, at 11:30 a.m., when the prosecution is expected to call its third witness.