In Alleged Robbery Case, Police Detective Testifies

In discharging the onus of proving their case beyond all reasonable doubt, the prosecution on Monday 10 August 2009 called Detective 1st Class 1058, Gibril Colley, as Prosecution Witness 2 in the ongoing criminal trial involving Biran Mbowe, Mamut Ceesay and Dembo Fofana at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court before His Worship Magistrate BO Jobe.

Adducing evidence, 1st class 1058 Colley informed the court that he is a police detective officer attached to Kanifing Estate police station and that he could recognise the accused persons.

Detective Colley adduced that in the month of August 2008, he received a case file on robbery from the charge office involving the accused persons, Biran Mbowe, Dembo Fofana and Mamut Cessay.

He further testified that the case file was assigned to him for further investigations, adding that during the investigations the three suspects were confronted with the complainant who identified the three suspects as the one that robbed her.

He maintained that in the course of the investigations the suspects admitted having entered a motor vehicle registration number BJL 5235 heading toward the MDI area. He added that the 1st accused Biran Mbowe told them that while inside the said vehicle he saw the complainant coming and immediately told the driver to stop.

PW2 also told the court that the suspect Biran Mbowe told them that he approached the complainant and took her bag that was containing cash of D2000 and a mobile phone. Officer Colley also told the court that their investigation revealed that the said motor vehicle was also stolen by the accused persons from one Mr Jatta of Bakau. He noted that he obtained the cautionary and voluntary statements from the accused Biran Mbowe in the presence of an independent witness, one Modou Baldeh of Tallinding.

The case was adjourned to the 19th August 2009.