Sainabou Wadda-Ceesay, acting principal magistrate at the Kanifing Magistrates Court, on Tuesday convicted and handed a one year suspended jail term to one Essa Jarjue.  He had pleaded guilty to two charges of committing a felony and stealing.

Narrating the facts of the matter before the court, the police prosecutor, Inspector Touray, informed the court that on January 18, 2009, the convict broke into the house of one Lamin Jammeh of Bakau and stole two mobile phones and a radio cassette player, all valued at D5500.

He told the court that the complainant (Lamin) reported the matter to the Bakau police station after which the convict was arrested by the police. According to the prosecutor, the items were recovered from him and he admitted committing the theft. The two mobile phones and the radio were admitted and marked as exhibits.

Magistrate Sainabou Wadda-Ceesay, in her judgement, said the court would temper justice with mercy because the convict had not wasted the court's time and was a first time offender.

She then gave him the suspended sentence and further ordered him to pay a fine of D500 in default to serve a 2-month imprisonment term. Magistrate Wadda-Ceesay also ordered that the recovered items be returned to the complainant.