{"id":91547,"date":"2025-12-08T16:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/high-court-upholds-no-case-submission-in-manslaughter-trial"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:51:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T16:51:57","slug":"high-court-upholds-no-case-submission-in-manslaughter-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/high-court-upholds-no-case-submission-in-manslaughter-trial","title":{"rendered":"High Court Upholds No-Case Submission in Manslaughter Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The High Court, presided over by Justice S.K. Jobarteh, has upheld a no-case submission in the criminal trial of The State v. Salifu Keita, resulting in the acquittal and discharge of the accused, Salifu Keita.<\/b><\/p>\n

Keita had been standing trial on an amended single count of manslaughter contrary to Section 186 of the Criminal Code. He was accused of causing the death of Abdoulie Badjie in February 2025 at Kuloro Village.<\/p>\n

According to the prosecution, the accused and deceased engaged in a physical altercation during which Badjie fell and sustained a severe spinal cord injury that resulted in his death. The accused pleaded not guilty. Over the course of the trial, the State called six witnesses and tendered three exhibits in support of its case.<\/p>\n

At the close of the prosecution\u2019s case, defence counsel T.B. Jallow submitted that the State had failed to establish a prima facie case requiring the accused to enter a defence. He argued that no credible evidence linked Keita to any unlawful act, the essential ingredients of manslaughter were not proven, and the prosecution\u2019s case was marred by \u201cgaps, contradictions, and unreliable testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, the prosecution insisted that the evidence presented met the threshold for a prima facie case, stressing that the requirement at that stage was not proof beyond a reasonable doubt but rather sufficient evidence warranting a defence.<\/p>\n

Justice Jobarteh relied on the guiding principles established in R v. Galbraith (1981), which require the court to determine whether the prosecution\u2019s evidence\u2014taken at its highest\u2014could support a conviction by a properly directed jury.<\/p>\n

For a charge of manslaughter, the prosecution was required to establish:<\/p>\n

A) That the accused engaged in an unlawful act;<\/p>\n

B) That the unlawful act caused the death of the deceased;<\/p>\n

C) That the act involved culpable negligence or omission affecting the preservation of life or health.<\/p>\n

While the court accepted that the death of Abdoulie Badjie\u2014caused by a C5 spinal fracture and related spinal cord injury\u2014was conclusively proven through the post-mortem report (Exhibit B), Justice Jobarteh underscored that the prosecution still needed to prove that the accused performed an unlawful act causing the death.<\/p>\n

The court examined the accounts of the only two eyewitnesses, PW4 and PW5. PW4 testified that he observed the accused and the deceased \u201cgrappling with each other,\u201d falling together to the ground. The accused stood up while the deceased remained on the ground.<\/p>\n

PW5 described a \u201cpush-and-pull situation\u201d after the deceased refused to leave the accused\u2019s compound. He stated that during attempts by bystanders to separate the men, both slipped and fell, with the deceased\u2019s head striking a concrete surface. PW5 emphasized that neither man beat or intentionally harmed the other.<\/p>\n

Justice Jobarteh found the eyewitness testimonies to be \u201cclear, consistent, and unshaken under cross-examination.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge concluded that although the two men engaged in a struggle, \u201cneither of them struck, hit, or intentionally applied unlawful force,\u201d adding that the fatal fall resulted from a \u201cmutual and simultaneous slip\u201d during the intervention to separate them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe evidence did not suggest that the accused performed an unlawful act that led directly or indirectly to the death,\u201d Justice Jobarteh stated, further noting the absence of malice, intent, or any unlawful action on the part of the accused.<\/p>\n

Given the weakness of the prosecution\u2019s case, the judge held that \u201cno reasonable jury, properly directed, could convict.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consequently, the court upheld the defence\u2019s no-case submission and acquitted and discharged Salifu Keita.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The High Court, presided over by Justice S.K. Jobarteh, has upheld a no-case submission in the criminal trial of The State v. Salifu Keita, resulting in the acquittal and discharge of the accused, Salifu Keita. Keita had been standing trial on an amended single count of manslaughter contrary to Section 186 of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-91547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nHigh Court Upholds No-Case Submission in Manslaughter Trial - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The High Court, presided over by Justice S.K. 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