By Landing Ceesay
Pa Momodou Jeng, the Second Prosecution Witness (PW2) in the murder trial of Kumba Sinyan, was today, December 6, 2022, cross-examined before Justice Sidi K Jobarteh by Defense Counsel, Mrs. Twum.
Pa Momodou Jeng, a resident of Bakoteh, appeared before Justice Sidi K Jobarteh yesterday to testify for the prosecution and returned today for cross-examination in the highly publicized murder trial.
Kumba Sinyan is charged with murder contrary to section 187 of Criminal Code Cap: 10:01 Revised Laws of the Gambia 2009.
Prosecutors alleged that the suspect on or about the 14th of September 2022 at The Friendship Hostel in Bakau, with malice aforethought, caused the death of one Lamarana Jallow by cutting his stomach with an object and thereby committed an offence punishable with death under section 188 of the Criminal Code Cap of the Laws of the Gambia 2009.During the cross-examination, PW2 told the court that Kumba Sinyan (the accused) is not a close friend of his, but she is “just” a friend.
PW2 also told the court that he grew up in the same neighborhood with the accused (Kumba Sinyan)
“For how long have you been friends?” the defense Counsel asked.
“I can’t tell it’s a long time, it has been inconsistent,” PW2 responded.The defense Counsel asked the witness whether he was the first person Kumba Sinyan (the accused) called after the incident.
PW2 said he was told that he is the first person the accused called based on her phone’s call log.
PW2 further told the court that he kept calling Kumba Sinyan (the accused) because he was concerned.”Mr. Jeng, I am putting it to you that you were in love with the accused person,” the defense counsel put it to the witness.
“No” the witness responded. The defense counsel then put it to the witness that he “asked” the accused person out on several occasions. The witness denied asking the accused person out.
PW2 told the court that the accused (Kumba Sinyan) was a friend of his.
“Can you tell this court about her, character-wise whether she was violent or not?” the defense counsel asked.”No, as we were a little bit far from each other,” the witness answered.
“You said you were surprised when she told you that she killed her boyfriend?” the defense counsel asked.
“No, I said I didn’t believe. But in the morning, when my friend told me, I was surprised,” the witness responded.
The Defense Counsel asked the witness whether he knew Kumba Sinyan (the accused) to be a “violent” individual.
“No, to be candid, because our compounds were a little bit far away from each other,” the witness responded.The witness told the court that when Kumba Sinyan (the accused) called him at first, she was “furious” but acknowledged that she didn’t disclose the circumstance surrounding the death of the deceased (Momodou Lamarana Jallow) to him.
“Did you know whether there was any altercation between the deceased and the accused?” the defense Counsel asked.
“At some point, she mentioned that she (Kumba Sinyan) was suspecting that the deceased was about to leave her,” the witness responded.At this point, the defense Counsel closes her cross-examination of the Second Prosecution Witness (PW2) and he was discharged by Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh, with the prosecution calling their third Witness (PW3) to the witness box.
We will bring you the testimony of PW3 in our subsequent publications.