Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The murder trial of Mariama Jallow, who stands accused of fatally stabbing 16-year-old Cherno Manneh in Brufut, resumed Monday before the High Court in Banjul with compelling testimony from a police officer who was among the first responders at the scene.

Jallow is charged with murder under Section 187 of the Criminal Code. Prosecutors allege that on November 29, 2023, she stabbed the teenager in the chest with a kitchen knife, leading to his death. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Testifying for the prosecution, Sergeant Babanding Jarju of the Gambia Police Force’s Anti-Crime Unit recounted how his team was alerted to the incident by a member of the Brufut Village Development Committee. Upon arriving at the accused’s residence, they encountered an angry mob outside, threatening violence.

“We found her locked inside. I knocked and identified myself as a police officer,” Jarju told the court. “I asked if she was the one who committed the act. She admitted it and handed over the knife she used, a green kitchen knife, from her suitcase.”

The prosecution tendered the knife in court, and Sergeant Jarju identified it as the same one collected from the accused. The defense raised no objection, and the court accepted the knife into evidence, labeling it Exhibit P3.

Jarju further stated that after retrieving the knife and arresting Jallow, she was transported to the police station for further processing.

During cross-examination, the defense pressed the officer on the circumstances leading to the arrest, including whether the team had seen the victim’s body prior to approaching the accused. Sergeant Jarju confirmed that they had.

“We saw the body. It was cold. We split into two teams — some officers went to the accused’s house, while others took the body to the hospital,” he said.

When asked how the police identified the green knife as the murder weapon, Jarju said the community had reported it as the item used in the stabbing. He confirmed that the victim had been stabbed in the chest and that the knife was later secured at the Brufut Anti-Crime Unit’s exhibit store.

However, he was unable to recall exactly to whom the knife was handed at the station, noting that the police diary would contain that information.

In a question about the condition of the knife at the time it was collected, Jarju said, “It was red with blood when we collected it,” but added that the colour may have changed over time.

With no further questions from the defence and no re-examination from the prosecution, Sergeant Jarju was discharged from the witness stand.

The case has been adjourned to July 7, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. for the continuation of the prosecution’s case.