Justice Joseph Wowo of the High Court in Banjul has urged the director general of the Gambia Prisons Service, David Colley to assist one Samuel Joel Mayombeh to communicate with his relatives.

The accused (A Ghanaian), who is standing trial on a murder charge since 2007, had informed the High Court that since he was incarcerated he has not communicated to his relatives and that they do not know his whereabouts. The prosecution had opened its case, the third prosecution witness has testified but is yet to be cross examined by the defence counsel. After the evidence in chief of the first prosecution witness, the evidence of the second and third prosecution witnesses were interposed because the first witness had to travel out of the jurisdiction.

The prosecution disclosed that two of the listed prosecution witnesses: Abdou Razi and Pascal may have left the jurisdiction or changed their phone numbers on the file, because their numbers have not been going through; thus rendering the case stalled. During the last sitting, the accused told the court that he wished to communicate with his relatives.

Justice Joseph Wowo ordered Sgt Lamin Korta of the prison authorities to inform the director general of the Gambia Prisons Service to allow the accused to communicate with his relatives without delay. Â"If by the next adjourned date, the director general of Prison Service fail to comply with the court order; to allow the accused communicate with his relatives, the court will have no option but to charge him for contempt,Â" he concluded.