Africa-Press – Gambia. The High Court has acquitted Balla Ceesay, who faced trial for the manslaughter of Ebrima Jallow, also known as Bai Nyass, following an altercation in December 2023.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, November 27, 2025, Justice S.K. Jobarteh concluded that Ceesay acted in necessary self-defense during a life-threatening confrontation.
Ceesay had been charged under Section 186 of the Criminal Code for causing Jallow’s death on December 7, 2023, in Bondali Tenda Village by striking him with an iron wheel puller.
The court heard that the incident stemmed from a heated dispute between Ceesay, the driver, and Jallow, his apprentice.
The prosecution presented seven witnesses, including eyewitnesses PW4 and PW6, who testified that Jallow armed himself with a cutlass and approached Ceesay. PW7, the pathologist, confirmed that Jallow’s death resulted from a severe skull fracture caused by blunt force trauma, with a blood clot compressing the brain. The prosecution argued that Ceesay failed to take reasonable steps to disengage and that his claim of self-defense was an afterthought.
In his defense, Ceesay testified that Jallow had repeatedly provoked and threatened him. On the day of the incident, Jallow allegedly insulted Ceesay’s late mother and attempted to attack him with a cutlass. Trapped between the car and its door, Ceesay said he picked up a wheel puller to defend himself, inadvertently striking Jallow on the head.
Defence counsel T.B. Jallow maintained that Ceesay acted purely in self-defense, emphasizing that the law permits the use of reasonable force to preserve one’s life.
In her ruling, Justice Jobarteh highlighted the three key elements required to establish self-defense. She found that eyewitness accounts confirmed Jallow was the aggressor and that his actions created a reasonable apprehension of death or serious injury. Noting that Ceesay was initially unarmed and trapped, the judge concluded that using the wheel puller was a proportionate and instinctive defensive response. Citing Palmer v R (1971), Justice Jobarteh observed that a person under attack cannot be expected to measure defensive force with precision.
The judge concluded that the prosecution had not proven manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt. “The law justifies the accused’s conduct as an act necessary to preserve his own life in the face of a deadly and unforgiving assault,” Justice Jobarteh stated.
Balla Ceesay was accordingly acquitted and discharged. Justice Jobarteh reminded both parties of their right to appeal.
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