A father had taken the witness stand to testify in defence of his son, Landing Sonko, denying the allegations against him and telling a court that he witnessed police officers beating his son during his arrest.
Abdoulie Sonko, a mason from Old Yundum, appeared as a defence witness before Principal Magistrate Mam Samba Jallow in the ongoing Salagi case.
Inspector Jadama, representing the Inspector General of Police, was present for the prosecution, while Landing Sonko appeared before the court.
During his testimony, Abdoulie Sonko told the court that he clearly recognised the accused, Landing Sonko, as his biological son and said this was the reason he had appeared to testify as a defence witness.
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At one point during the proceedings, the witness asked the court why his son had been accused.
Principal Magistrate Mam Samba Jallow reminded him that his role before the court was to give evidence and provide an account of what he had personally witnessed.
The witness then denied his son's alleged involvement in the offences before the court.
"I am telling the court that whatever my son is charged with is not true and unfounded," Abdoulie Sonko testified.
He said he could not explain the specific offence his son had been accused of committing but maintained that he had witnessed his son being allegedly beaten by police officers during his arrest at their home.
According to the witness, he did not know why the police had gone to his residence.
However, he said he later became aware that police officers were allegedly assaulting his son.
Abdoulie Sonko told the court that someone at the home ran to inform him that his son was being beaten by police officers.
He said he immediately rushed outside after receiving the information.
According to his testimony, when he arrived at the scene, he found police officers allegedly beating Landing Sonko.
The witness further testified that he saw police officers holding his son's neck while Landing Sonko was on the ground.
Despite witnessing the alleged incident, Abdoulie Sonko told the court that he did not subsequently go to a police station to make inquiries about the circumstances surrounding his son's arrest.
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The defence witness was testifying in a matter involving several accused persons, including Ramou Sowe, Omar Drammeh and Lamin Jaiteh, over allegations arising from an incident said to have occurred on 13 April 2025 at Salagi.
The accused persons faced several charges before the court.
Under Count One, the accused persons were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 368 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 10:01, Volume III, Laws of The Gambia 2009.
The prosecution alleged that Ramou Sowe, Omar Drammeh and Lamin Jaiteh conspired to commit a felony, namely abduction.
Under Count Two, the accused persons were charged with wrongful concealing or keeping in confinement a kidnapped or abducted person, contrary to Section 238 of the Criminal Code.
The prosecution was required to prove the allegations before the court. The allegations had not been proven, and the accused persons remained entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The matter was adjourned to 1 September 2026 for the continuation of the proceedings.
