Mother commits infanticide

One Isatou Fatty was, yesterday, paraded before the Brikama Magistrates Court, for allegedly dumping her newborn in a toilet pit, after giving birth at Farato Village.
 
The young mother, believed to be in her twenties, was said to have committed this nefarious act in April, this year. However, Ms Fatty pleaded not guilty when the charge sheet was read to her.

Narrating the facts before the court, police detective, First Class 1065 Gibril Colley, attached to the Kanifing Estate Serious Crime Unit, said he was at the Brikama Police Station on the day of the incident, when one Sergeant Camara, an uncle of the accused person, reported at the station that the accused had given birth and dumped her baby into a toilet pit.  

He said that he then went to the scene with one police officer and personnel of the Gambia Fire and Ambulance Services.

"On our arrival, we interrogated the young girl and she admitted committing the offence," Detective Colley said. Colley further told the court that the young girl led them to the toilet, where the fire and ambulance services personnel had to break the toilet floor to remove the innocent baby girl,” he told the court.

He noted that both the baby and her mother were taken to the Brikama Health Centre, where the baby was confirmed dead. "They were later taken to RVTH where a postmortem was conducted on the dead baby," he added.

Detective Colley concluded that he then gave his statement at the Brikama Police Station and that Ms Fatty was then charged accordingly.

When asked by the defence counsel, Lawyer camara how long the accused person was detained, Detective Colley maintained that he did not know. Asked whether the accused person was granted a police bail, he further replied in the negative.The case was then adjourned to August 19 for continuation of the proceedings.