Jailed Rapist Relatives Sentenced for Contempt of Court

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Sidiq Asemota

7 June 2011

Justice Lamin A.M.S. Jobarteh of the High Court in Banjul, yesterday, Monday, 6th of June 2011 convicted and sentenced one Mamie Faal, Fatou Faal, Awa Jah and Kumba Gisseh to pay the sum of D25, 000, in default to serve a prison term of three years each with hard labour, for contempt of court.

Justice Jobarteh gave this judgment following the citing of the four accused persons for contempt of court after passing sentence on one Lamin Jah, a relative of the accused persons. The incident happened when the accused person, Lamin Jah shouted at the presiding judge after passing sentence on him, saying he would not die in jail, then the four reacted inside the court room pouring invectives on the presiding judge; that the judgement was not fair, thereby interrupting the court proceedings.

The four who had walked out of the court room were later brought into the court and asked by the presiding judge to explain why they should not be cited for contempt and sentenced accordingly. Mamie Faal and Fatou Faal stated that they were angry and that resulted to their outburst; whilst Awa Jah asked the court for forgiveness and expressed remorse; and Kumba Gisseh told the court that it was her first time of going to court and did not realise what she was doing.

Justice Jobarteh told the accused persons that he was not the parliamentarians that passed the law and he was not responsible for what the accused did. Justice Jobarteh pointed out that if they are aggrieved with the sentence passed on the accused, they should also take into consideration of what the accused did to the victim, who would always live with the scar (stigma).

Justice Jobarteh declared that people must realize that the courts are people’s last resort where they can seek redress, adding that where people of their nature can be so rude to abuse the court in its face, they should not be allowed to go free. Justice Jobarteh disclosed that people of their likes must be taught good lessons for others to learn from and they were therefore sentenced accordingly.

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