By Ousman Saidykhan
Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the High Court has observed that the shoes alleged to belong to Ousainou, which were used during the shooting of the PIU officers, do not fit him as they are not his size.
The pair of combat boots is an exhibit of the prosecution, as they alleged it was the footwear the accused persons wore on the night of the Sukuta-Jabang Traffic Lights incident – on September 12, 2023 – where two PIU were killed and one “critically” injured.
Ousainou, who appeared in the dock as the first witness in his defense, was asked to wear the shoes in court by his lawyer, Counsel J Darboe, to ascertain whether or not they were his size, but his heel did not fit.
The accused was asked to step out of the witness box. He was provided with a chair in front of the judge, where he sat, forcing his right foot into the boot. “It does not fit my foot,” Ousainou said.
The judge, appearing to be satisfied with the alleged shooter’s efforts to wear the wrong-sized shoes, adjusted his seat after Ousainou raised his leg for him to have a good view while preparing to speak.
“The court observed that exhibit P26 – the shoes- could not fit the 1st accused person, Ousainou Bojang,” Justice Jaiteh said.
The shoes were taken from the veranda in their compound in Brufut during police investigations, but the accused said he had told them it was his brother’s.
His brother, Famara Bojang, is a welder, Ousainou told the court and used combat boots when he went to work.
“I have told the police officers that the shoes do not belong to me, but my brother, who is a welder, but they claimed it is mine, and that were the shoes I used to shoot the PIU officers. I told them I have never killed anyone,”
He said he told the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Abdoulie Sanyang, during interrogations that it was not his shoes. He had even tested the boots, but they did not fit. “But the IGP got angry about it.”
The case has been adjourned to January 13, 2025.
