High Court Sentences Three Convicts in Jabang Robbery Case After Plea Bargain

Court Releases Suspects after sentencing © Askanwi

Fatou Konteh

The High Court of The Gambia has sentenced three convicts after accepting an amended plea bargain agreement reached between the State and the accused persons in connection with a 2022 robbery case in Jabang Village, West Coast Region.

The judgement was delivered on Monday, 27th July 2026, by Hon. Justice Z.N. Mboob in the case involving Ousman Sowe, Abdoulie Manneh, and Muhammed Jallow. The amended plea bargain agreement, filed on 16th June 2026 following negotiations between the State and the accused persons, was accepted by the court after all three pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to the amended information filed by the State, the three were charged with multiple offences, including conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, assault, going armed in public and threatening violence. The charges stemmed from incidents that occurred on 4th October 2022 in Jabang Village, where the convicts were accused of jointly robbing Baboucarr Njie and Demba Sanyang.

The prosecution alleged that the three threatened Baboucarr Njie with a knife before stealing his Tecno Pop 2 mobile phone valued at D3,000 and a pair of shoes valued at D300. They were also accused of assaulting him during the incident. In a separate incident on the same night, they allegedly stoned Demba Sanyang and stole his bag containing money, a driver’s licence, food items and an Itel smartphone.

The amended charges further alleged that the accused persons caused terror by carrying knives and scissors in public without lawful excuse. Ousman Sowe was additionally charged with threatening to kill Baboucarr Njie with a cutlass.

Before sentencing, Justice Mboob said the court carefully considered the seriousness of the offences alongside several mitigating factors. The judge noted that all three convicts were first-time offenders, had shown genuine remorse, apologised to the victims and had spent several years in lawful custody awaiting the conclusion of the case.

The court also heard from the State that the victims had been consulted and had agreed to the terms of the amended plea bargain agreement. For the first convict, Ousman Sowe, the court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment on Count One and two-years’ imprisonment on Count Two.

However, the court ruled that both custodial sentences had already been fully served because he had remained in lawful custody since 2022. On Counts three and four, Sowe was ordered to enter a bond to keep the peace and maintain good behaviour for two years. Should he breach the bond, he will serve seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

The second convict, Abdoulie Manneh, was fined D5,000 on Count One or, in default of payment, one year’s imprisonment. On Count Two, he was fined D3,000 or faced two years’ imprisonment if he failed to pay. The court ordered that both sentences run concurrently. On Count Five, Manneh was also bound to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years, failing which he would serve seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

For the third convict, Muhammed Jallow, the court imposed a two-year prison sentence on Count One. As he had already spent time in lawful custody since 2022, the court held that the sentence had been fully served. On Count Two, he was ordered to keep the peace and maintain good behaviour for two years. Any breach of the bond conditions will result in a three-year prison sentence with hard labour.

Justice Mboob further ordered the three convicts, jointly and severally, to compensate the victims in accordance with the terms of the plea bargain agreement. The court warned that failure to pay the agreed compensation would result in each convict serving an additional six months’ imprisonment.

In delivering the judgement, Justice Mboob stated that the sentences reflected both the gravity of the offences and the mitigating circumstances presented before the court, including the plea bargain agreement, the convicts’ expressions of remorse, the period already spent in custody and the interests of the victims.