By SKS
Mohamed Jagitay, 23, was sentenced to 55 years in prison Friday by Justice Adrian Fisher of the High Court for the murder of his cousin, Ibrahim Jagitay.
The jury found Jagitay guilty in the case, which stemmed from a fatal incident in Joe Town, Waterloo.
During the sentencing hearing, Jagitay chose to remain silent when given the opportunity to address the court.
Justice Fisher, in delivering the sentence, expressed satisfaction with the jury’s verdict. He noted Jagitay’s silence as indicative of a lack of remorse for the killing of the “promising young man.” The judge described the crime as a horrific act that tragically ended the life of Ibrahim Jagitay.
Describing the crime as a very horrific murder that ended the life of a promising young man, Justice Fisher referenced the autopsy report, which classified the death as a gruesome attack, not an accident.
The judge explained that while the minimum sentence for murder is life imprisonment or 30 years, the brutal nature of the crime and the convict’s lack of remorse warranted a heavier sentence in accordance with the law. Justice Fisher stated that the convict had little to justification for his actions.
During his summation, the judge explained that the prosecution called eight witnesses. The first witness testified that the convict had taken the deceased out, claiming they were going to a party, but Ibrahim was never seen again until a social media post announced his death. Another witness, their uncle, reported seeing a wound on Mohamed’s palm, prompting him to notify the police.
The judge highlighted that the convict claimed they had been at Salone Bar Night Club in Kissy until 3 a.m. before taking a taxi home.
According to the convict, he got off the taxi at Calaba Town and left the deceased in the taxi, which was headed to Allen Town.
However, phone records presented in court contradicted this account. The convict was in contact with the deceased throughout July 27, with their last communication at 11:33 p.m.
On July 28, at 1:21 a.m., the convict was in Joe Town communicating with someone else, and at 1:58 a.m., he was in Newton on another call. The autopsy determined that Ibrahim died around 1:30 a.m. The pathologist testified that the cause of death was hemorrhagic shock due to deep stab wounds to the throat and abdomen, with the throat cut extending beyond the spinal cord.
Justice Fisher instructed the jury that if they were convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the convict committed the murder, they should return a guilty verdict. If they had doubts, they could acquit. He reminded them that while no one witnessed the murder directly, the evidence pointed strongly to Mohamed Jagitay’s guilt.
The prosecution, led by Lawyer Musa Pious Sesay Jr., emphasized the circumstantial evidence, particularly the phone records that placed the convict at the crime scene at the time of the murder.
He noted that the convict admitted to having his phone throughout the night, meaning he could not have been elsewhere as he claimed.
The defence lawyer, L. Rashid, argued that no one saw the convict commit the murder and that the knife found at the scene, with blood stains, was never forensically tested to link it to the convict. He urged the jury to base their verdict on facts, not suspicion.
