A remand prisoner, Musa Trawally, (the Imam at the Remand wing at Mile Two) has been sentenced to 20 years for committing manslaughter.

Mr Musa Trawally, a Malian national, who served almost 12 years in the State Central Prison, since 1997, was on Monday, 22 June, 2009 convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment at the Brikama Magistrate's Court in the Western Region.

The accused person who was living in Ballinghor in the North Bank Region was accused of murdering one Bakary Njie, by using a stick to hit him while on a fishing journey.

The charge sheet states that Musa Trawally had on the 6 of June 1997 in Ballinghor in the North Bank Region killed one Bakary Njie, alias Filly, of the same village.

The second count states that the accused person on the same day attempted to unlawfully cause the death of one Lamin Jammeh.

The third count states that the accused on the fateful day, attempted to murder one Ansu Saidy.

Justice Ngui Mboob-Janneh said considering the plea and mitigation by the defence counsel and the number of years the accused had spent in jail, the honourable Court should temper justice with mercy on the accused. Justice Mboob Janneh added that the Court is also mindful of the fact that someone is dead and the family is grieved; that there is need to strike a balance between the two sides.

The accused was at that juncture sentenced to 15 years with hard labour. The number of years he spent in jail would be deducted from the twenty years imposed on him by the Court.

On bodily harm, the accused Musa Trawally was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by the presiding judge without any option of a fine, and not withstanding, both terms are to run concurrently, meaning all the sentence should go together with hard labour.

The accused was also told that after the completion of his jail term; that he would be deported to his country of origin, Mali, by forwarding him to the director general of Immigration for his deportation to Mali with immediate effect.