Man jailed for seven months after stabbing brother in chest

By Louise Jobe

A magistrate in The Gambia has sentenced a man to seven months in prison after he admitted that he tried to kill his brother by stabbing him with a knife.

Basiru Sumareh was convicted of attempted murder by Magistrate A. Darboe at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 29 October. The court heard that Sumareh stabbed his brother, Baboucarr Sumareh, in the chest and at the back with a knife on 17 October 2026 in Brikama, in the West Coast Region. Sumareh appeared in court without a lawyer.

DSP K. Kinteh, representing the Inspector General of Police, appeared for the prosecution. The charge sheet was read and translated to Sumareh in a language he could speak and understand. He pleaded guilty to the charge, and the court recorded his plea.

He was charged with one count of attempted murder, contrary to Section 168(a) of the Criminal Offences Act 2025.  The particulars of the offence stated that Sumareh, “with malice aforethought”, attempted to kill Baboucarr Sumareh by stabbing him in the chest and at the back with a knife.

During the hearing, DSP Kinteh asked the court to accept the particulars of the offence as the facts of the case and tendered three exhibits. These included a medical certificate dated 26 October 2026 concerning the condition of the victim, two photographs showing the injuries suffered by him, and the knife allegedly used in the attack.

Magistrate Darboe asked Sumareh whether he had any objection to the exhibits.

“No objection,” he replied.

The court admitted the medical certificate, photographs and knife into evidence and marked them as Exhibits BS1, BS2 and BS3 respectively.

After the facts were presented, Sumareh admitted that they were true.

In sentencing him, Magistrate Darboe said the court had considered the circumstances of the offence, his guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and his acceptance of the facts presented by the prosecution.

The magistrate said an early guilty plea was a mitigating factor because it saved judicial time. However, the court said the mitigating circumstances had to be weighed against the seriousness of the offence, the circumstances in which it was committed, the harm caused and the need to uphold the law and protect the public. The court said a sentence must be proportionate to the offence and consistent with the Criminal Offences Act and sentencing guidelines.

“While the Court convicts, plea and mitigation deserve consideration, they don’t automatically absolve him of the consequences of his criminal conduct,” the court said.

Magistrate Darboe said the court was satisfied that a custodial sentence was necessary.

Sumareh was sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment at Mile 2 Central Prison. The court also ordered him to pay D100,000 to the victim.

The court said that if the compensation was not paid, Sumareh would serve an additional one year in prison. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

Magistrate Darboe said the sentence was intended to punish the offence, promote law and order and tolerance in homes, and deter similar offences.