In a firm move to curb the “growing menace” of reckless driving, Justice Jaiteh of the High court has dismissed the appeals of three boys (Outlaws) seeking shorter sentences for a stunt-driving spree that brought Jabang and other communities to a standstill.
Presiding Judge Justice Jaiteh delivering his judgment on the appeal making it clear that the nation’s roads are not “arenas for reckless experimentation”. Justice Ebrima Jaiteh affirmed the custodial sentences handed down to Serign Mass Gaye, Samba Ceesay, and Muhammed Bah, dismissing their consolidated appeals in their entirety.
The case emerged from an incident in the community of Jabang, where the three appellants Serign Mass Gaye, Samba Ceesay, and Muhammed Bah were part of a vehicle convoy engaged in stunt driving.
According to court records, their actions brought traffic to a total standstill, caused “widespread disorder” and damaged several vehicles and left members of the public in a state of “fear and distress”.
In August 2025, Magistrate Isatou Jallow of the Brusubi Magistrates’ sentenced all the three to heavy fines and prison time.
Despite their petitions for mercy, Justice Jaiteh found no reason to disturb the original Judgement, noting they fell within the lawful statutory parameters.
Serign Mass Gaye (1st Appellant): Convicted of unlicensed driving and reckless/dangerous driving. His sentence includes fines totaling D26,000 and a combined three years and three months of imprisonment with hard labour.
Samba Ceesay (2nd Appellant): Convicted of reckless and dangerous driving. He was ordered to pay a D25,000 fine and serve three years of imprisonment with hard labour.
Muhammed Bah (3rd Appellant): Convicted of reckless driving and the unauthorized use of tinted glass. Bah faces a D25,000 fine and three years of hard labour for reckless driving, plus a D20,000 fine for the tinted glass violation, with an additional two-year term in default of payment.
The Appellant seeking for mercy represented by Counsel Lamin A. Ceesay, the trio argued in their appeal that the Magistrate’s sentences were “excessive and manifestly disproportionate”.
Defense Counsel highlighted several mitigating factors indicating that all three were first-time offenders with no prior records; that they pleaded guilty immediately, saving the court’s time and one of the convicts (Serign Mass Gaye) is a student whose future could be ruined by a long custodial sentence. Defense Counsel urged the High Court to substitute the jail time with community service or suspended sentences.
Justice Jaiteh was not moved. While acknowledging that the appellants were young first-time offenders who pleaded guilty, he stated that the severity of their behavior specifically driving irresponsibly in a populated area posed a “serious threat to human life”.
Justice Jaiteh noted that because they had pleaded guilty in the lower court, they could only legally appeal the extent of the sentence, not the conviction itself. He ruled that the Magistrate had acted within her legal discretion and that the sentences were justified by the “broader social reality” of rising road accidents in The Gambia.
“The lives of innocent citizens cannot be placed at risk merely for the amusement, thrill, or excitement of irresponsible motorists,” Justice Jaiteh wrote in his final determination.
The appeals were dismissed in their entirety, and all convictions and sentences were affirmed.
