By Sainabou Sambou
An 18-year-old prosecution witness on Tuesday described in vivid detail the moments leading to the alleged fatal stabbing of his close friend, Cheron Touray, during testimony in the High Court murder trial of Mariama Jallow.
Presided over by Justice Ebrima Jaiteh in Banjul, the case centers on the November 2023 incident in Brufut Santa-Su, where Jallow is accused of murder under Section 187 of the Criminal Code for intentionally causing Touray’s death by stabbing him in the chest.
State prosecutor M. Sarr led the examination of PW5, Saikou Tabally, a Brufut resident who works occasionally as a mason—defense counsel FC. Anyanwu represented the accused.
Tabally testified that he and Touray, whom he described as a close friend, were sitting together one evening between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.—though he could not recall the precise date—when Jallow passed by them.
According to Tabally, Touray hissed at Jallow as she walked past, prompting her to respond with insults directed at both young men and their mothers. She then continued to a nearby shop before returning, allegedly holding a small green kitchen knife.
Tabally said Jallow resumed her insults and threatened to kill him if he spoke. She then turned her attention to Touray, insulted his mother again, and—when Touray stood up—stabbed him once on the left side of his chest.
“I was there alone with my friend, the deceased Cheron Touray, when it happened,” Tabally told the court under oath.
He recounted pressing his hand to his friend’s chest in an attempt to stem the bleeding as Jallow fled toward a nearby compound. Local women later tied a veil around the wound to control the hemorrhage.
Tabally said he chased Jallow to the compound and questioned the owner, who initially denied that anyone had entered. Another man in the compound, whom Tabally did not know before that day, later identified Jallow as the person who had run inside.
The witness then went to Jallow’s house and knocked, but she refused to open the door. Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officers eventually arrived, entered the premises, arrested Jallow, handcuffed her, and took her to Ghana Town Police Station. Tabally said he did not enter the house during the arrest and traveled to the station separately in another vehicle.
He remained outside while Jallow was processed inside, gave a statement to the police that night, and returned home. The following morning, between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., he went back to the station with his father, Lamin Tabally. While there, he learned that Touray had died from his injuries.
Under cross-examination by defense counsel Anyanwu, Tabally confirmed he had provided a police statement the night of the incident. Because he did not attend school, he thumbprinted the document while his father signed it. He identified the statement in court because it included his mother’s phone number, though he noted he did not see his own thumbprint on the copy presented.
The defense tendered Tabally’s police statement as evidence; it was admitted and marked Defense Exhibit D1.
Tabally acknowledged he was 17 at the time of the incident in 2023 and is now 18. He confirmed he had never seen Jallow before that evening and noted she was significantly older than both him and the deceased.
He firmly rejected defense suggestions that he and Touray had attacked Jallow or that Touray was stabbed with his own knife. Tabally insisted neither he nor his friend carried a knife and that he personally saw Jallow holding and using the weapon.
“I recognized the knife because she first showed it to me,” he stated, adding, “I would not lie under oath.”
Tabally admitted he had missed an earlier court appearance due to traveling to Jarra for his uncle’s funeral and apologized to the court. He maintained that his testimony was consistent with his original police statement. He reiterated that only he and Touray were present at the moment of the stabbing, with others arriving afterward.
The trial was adjourned to February 9, 2026, for continuation.
