Dodou Janneh, a suspect in the murder trial of the late Sheriff Minteh of London Corner, on Tuesday, started giving evidence before senior magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara of the Bundung Magistrates Court.  

In his testimony, Mr Janneh, said he was a volunteer in the Gambia Police Force and attached at the CID Unit of the Serrekunda Police Station.  

He recalled that on 9th May 2007, while on duty at the station, they received a tip-off that a group of boys were smoking cannabis and robing people of their belongings at London Corner.  He said a  fall-in was called afterwards by the prison officer, Kalilo Sanneh (prosecution witness 7) and seven officers were assigned to raid the area.  

According to him, they went with a woman who lodged a complaint at the station to London Corner on board a 4x4 Pajero vehicle. Upon arrival at the area, he said, 12 boys were arrested, handcuffed and placed inside the waiting vehicle, they were caught with three rolls of cannabis.  

Mr Janneh further informed the court that on their return to the station, they found another group of boys smoking cannabis at Saho Kunda Junction in London Corner. He said their driver stepped on the break to bring the vehicle to a stop, before some officers in the raiding team chased after the boys.

He told the court that it was then that he saw Kalilo Sanneh chasing a boy [the deceased Sheriff Minteh] and decided to join him in the chase. He said he fell down at a curve near a mechanic workshop and Kalilo Sanneh had caught the boy by the time he stood on his feet.

According to him, it was there that Kalilo asked for a handcuff, as his own was on ground at that time. He said Kalilo told the boy to stand, but the boy [Sheriff Minteh] insisted that he was wounded and cannot walk. He said Kalilo gave the boy [Sheriff Minteh] a slap, saying that the deceased was trying to be deceptive.

Mr Janneh informed the court that he later decided to call their driver to come to the scene, but was told by Kalilo Sanneh that was not necessary, as the boy [Sheriff Minteh] was play tricks.

According to him, minutes later, they were besieged by a crowd of angry neighbours pelted stones and insults at them. He said it was during this difficult period that a man with a dreadlocks hit tried to hit Kalilo Sanneh with a stick, but was defended by himself before it landed on his shoulder. As the public anger intentifies at around 09:30 pm, he fled the scene to one of the nearest compounds, where he called for a reinforcement in order to rescue him.

Mr Janneh said he was later taken to the Serrekunda Health Centre for a medical check-up on his shoulder, after he was rescued by the enforcement officers.

For his personal safety, he said he was taken to Bakau Police Station, where he spent two days, on the order of the new crime management coordinator, Essa Badjie. He said he came to know the name of the deceased upon his return to Serrekunda Police Station and issued a statement, the content of which he did not know. He said he was forced by one Sgt Cham to sign the statement, before he slabbed him on the face.

He told the court that none of the officers were armed and it was not to his knowledge that anyone of them was having a knife during course of the raid.
 
At this juncture, the presiding senior magistrate Sillah-Camara adjourned the case to June 2 for the accused to continue his testimony. The accused, who is being represented by Lawyer Lamin Camara, was remanded back to the State Central Prison at Mile II.