The murder trial involving Rameh Trawalley, a Guinean charged with the capital office of murder resumed yesterday, Wednesday, 28th of July 2010, before Justice Joseph Enwa Ikpala of the Special Criminal Court in Banjul.

The accused was alleged to have with malice after thought caused the death of Ahmed Faal Hydara by chopping his neck from the body with a cutlass, on the 2nd of June 2009 at Sanyang Village in the Kombo South District of Western Region.In a cross-examination by defence counsel, Uzoma Achigbue, the third prosecution witness, Lamin Cham of the Major Crime Unit at the police headquarters in Banjul, told the court that he was part of the investigation team who visited the scene of the crime at Sanyang Village.

The witness further told the court that he received the crime weapons and other blood stained exhibits, including a cap, a pair of trousers among others. He said he also recorded a cautionary statement from the accused and that he conducted further investigations to establish the ownership of the cap, after the crowd had told him that the cap belonged to the accused.

The witness further said other than the crowd that was present at the scene of the crime, other people in Sanyang Village also confirmed that the accused was the owner of the red cap. Lamin Cham disclosed that the accused was arrested by the villagers and police officers and admitted that he made a witness statement on the 3rd of June 2009.At that juncture, Lamin Cham was given a photocopy of his statement and after perusing the content, he confirmed that he made the said statement.

The defence counsel, Uzoma Achigbue, however made an application for the original copy of the witness statement to be produced by the prosecution. DDPP Mikailu Abdulahi however told the court that he was not the counsel handling the case, but that senior state counsel Jone Nebo was the one having the case file, noting that the original witness statement was in the case file.On the basis of the absence of the original copy of the witness statement, defence counsel Uzoma Achigbue applied that the said photocopy be admitted in evidence for ID purpose. Consequently, the said witness statement was admitted in evidence and marked as defence exhibit.

The witness told the court that in his said statement, he described a freshly dug ditch suspected to have been dug by the accused to hide some exhibits. Hearing continues on the 9th of August 2010.The accused, Rameh Trawalley, a Guinean national, who came to The Gambia in 2003 lived in Kent Street in Banjul until 2008, when he relocated to Sanyang Village.