A Gambia College administrative staff member who attempted to rape a female student at the college has been sentenced to a two-year jail term, fined D50,000, and ordered to pay D200,000 in compensation to his victim.

Alassana Janneh, 32, was suspended by the college and charged to court following a Malagen investigation into his attempted rape of the female student, identified only as Aisha.

The story, ‘Shut up or I Will Kill You’, published last year, revealed how the admin assistant, under the guise of helping to enter her grades, lured her into his office after school hours, and tried to force sex with her. Aisha sustained some bruises on her neck.

Janneh evaded charges of attempted rape, a gap in the law decried by activists, and was instead prosecuted on charges of abduction and assault.

Despite Janneh’s denial of any wrongdoing, a magistrate’s court in Brikama found him guilty based on evidence including text messages he exchanged with her, and an audio recording of the altercation captured by Aisha.

“The effect of abduction in our community is a growing concern and the convict, being a lecturer at the Gambia College, owed the victim a duty of care,” the Principal Magistrate Anna O Mendy has said.

She described Janneh’s conduct as ‘unacceptable, wicked, immoral, and unlawful’, noting that such behaviours need to be eliminated in society.

“I am mindful of the fact that the convict is a first-time offender, tempted not to give him a heavy sentence,” she however said.

Aisha, who was in court to witness the proceedings said she was ‘not happy’ with the judgement, but respects the decision of the court.

“I feel bad about the sentence; two years is too lenient…,” she said.

She said while the conviction and sentence is positive, ‘it doesn’t erase the pain.’

“Now, I’ll focus on rebuilding my life and healing from the impact this case has had on me,” she told Malagen.

Meanwhile, when contacted, Principal of Gambia College, Abubacarr Jallow said Janneh services would be terminated with immediate effect. “The college is actively updating its sexual harassment policy to better address such situations,” he said. “We consistently prioritised the safety of our students.”

Principal Jallow said the incident is an isolated case and ‘unprecedented in the college’s history’ but many sources familiar with the situation at the college told Malagen that sexual violence is a common practice at the institution.

Story by Kaddy Jawo

Editor’s Note: The names of victim and other identifiable details have either been omitted or changed to protect the identities of the victims in line with the Cherno Jallow Charter of Ethics for Journalists established by The Gambia Press Union (GPU).

This story is a follow up to an investigative story published as part of the OMC Investigative Reporting Fellowship, jointly funded by U.S Embassy in Banjul and Freedom House-The Gambia.