By Landing Ceesay
The Prosecution (State) has tendered razor blades and other materials as evidence in the murder trial involving Kumba Sinyan (the accused person).
Kumba Sinyan is charged with murder contrary to section 187 of Criminal Code Cap: 10:01 Revised Laws of the Gambia 2009. Prosecutors alleged that the suspect on or about the 14th of September 2022 at The Friendship Hostel in Bakau, with malice aforethought, caused the death of one Lamarana Jallow by cutting his stomach with an object and thereby committed an offence punishable with death under section 188 of the Criminal Code Cap of the Laws of the Gambia 2009.
Appearing before Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh in connection to the case was Corporal Samba Bah, an investigative Police Officer from Kairaba Police Station, told the Court that he has been a police officer for 10 years, and a crime scene officer for that period of time.
“I am a crime scene officer. I have been a crime scene officer for almost 10 years. I spent most of my career in the Crime Scene Department,” the witness said.
Corporal Bah confirmed to the court that he recognized the accused person (Kumba Sinyan) from September 2022.
“I recognized her through the crime scene that I was working on. The crime was an alleged murder case and the victim was Momodou Lama Jallow,” the witness told the court.
Corporal Bah informed the Court that he was told that Kumba Sinyan was the suspect in the alleged murder. He testified that on the 14th of September 2022, he received a call from ASP Foday Conta informing him that there was a murder case at Bakau. He advised ASP Foday Conta and other Police Officers to stay away from the scene until he arrives.
“I went to the scene and evaluated the scene together with Conta and other men. I went to room 111 where I found the victim lying down on the floor. His trousers were halfway and there was a black veil in his mouth lying in a pool of blood. Then I started collecting the evidence. I found a Metal shaving stick, and an unused razor blade in the room,” the witness testified.
The witness was given a metal razor blade for identification, and he identified it as the one he found at the crime scene.
The prosecution then applied to tender the metal razor blade as part of the evidence, with no objection from counsel representing the accused person (Kumba Sinyan), the metal razor blade was tendered into evidence and admitted by Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh as exhibit P1 B.
After the admission of the metal razor blade as evidence, Corporal Bah told the court that while collecting the evidence at the crime scene. He also found an unused razor blade in the room (crime scene). The witness was then given an unused razor blade for identification, and he confirmed to the court that, that was the exact razor blade he found at the crime scene.
The Prosecution then applied to tender the unused razor blade into prosecution evidence. The counsel for the accused did not object to the razor blade being tendered as part of the evidence, and Justice Jobarteh admitted the unused razor into evidence as exhibit P2.
Continuing his testimony to the court about the material evidence he collected from the crime scene, Corporal Bah said he collected a black wallet belonging to the late Lamarana Jallow (victim).
“I also collected the victim’s (Lamarana Jallow) personal wallet, black. In that wallet, there are two ATM Cards there. One is for Standard Chartered and the other one is Trust Bank,” the witness told the court.
The wallet and the two ATM Cards were shown to the witness by the Prosecution for identification, and he confirmed to the court that it was the wallet he found at the crime scene, prompting the prosecution to apply to tender the wallet and two ATM Cards into evidence. With no objection from Mrs. S Twum, the counsel for the accused person, Justice Jobarteh admitted them into evidence.
When asked what else he collected from the crime scene, Corporal Bah told the court he collected the late Lamarana Jallow’s shoes, trousers and shirt from the crime scene, describing Lamarana Jallow’s (victim) shoes as black in color, the trousers are ash in color and the shirt is black.
The victim’s shoes, trousers and shirt were given to the witness for identification, and he confirmed to the court that, those were the materials he mentioned in court. The prosecution then applied to tender the said materials into evidence and with no objection from the defence counsel, the presiding judge, Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh admitted them into evidence.
“I also collected two bedsheets, but I may not be able to identify the colour because there was too much blood on it,” the witness told the court.
The witness was given the two bedsheets in a package for identification, and he identified them to the court, and the Prosecution then applied to tender the two bedsheets into evidence. The defence yet again did not object to the admission of the two bedsheets into evidence, and Justice Jobarteh then admitted the two bedsheets into evidence.
“I also found a black veil in the victim’s (Lamarana Jallow) mouth. There was an inner and outer cover of a razor blade in the room,” the witness told the court.
The prosecution then gave a veil and the inner and outer cover of a razor blade for identification. The witness identified them to the court. The prosecution then applied to tender them into evidence. The defence counsel did not object to it, and they were admitted into evidence.
The witness further told the court that the victim’s (Lamarana Jallow) body was moved to the hospital after collecting the evidence.
“The following day in the morning, I went back to the station and I met the accused there. I was assigned to obtain a cautionary and voluntary statement from her,” the witness testified.
The witness was shown the cautionary and voluntary statements for identification, and he identified them as the ones he obtained from the accused person (Kumba Sinyan). The prosecution applied to tender the documents, and the defence did not object to it. Justice Jobarteh then admitted them into evidence as exhibits G1 and G2.