The Pikine-Guédiawaye court heard a particularly brutal sexual assault case that occurred on Tuesday, March 10. The defendant, S. Sall (17 years old), was being prosecuted for attempted abuse of I. Guèye (22 years old), reports L'Observateur.

An attack in broad daylight

According to the same source, the incident occurred near the beach, close to the VDN 3 highway. As the victim was leaving the courthouse after completing formalities, she was approached by the young man who initially insisted on "walking her home." When the young woman categorically refused, S. Sall changed tactics, threatening to "take her phone" if she did not comply.

According to the newspaper of the Groupe Futurs Médias (GFM), the suspect caught up with the victim by tripping her. Once the young woman was sprawled on the sand, he lunged at her to immobilize her and attempt to "fulfill his dirty deeds." Alerted by the victim's cries for help, passersby fortunately intervened, subduing the assailant and giving him a "severe beating" before handing him over to the Wakhinane-Nimzatt police.

His "mystical" line of defense swept aside

In court, S. Sall offered explanations deemed "surreal" by the tribunal. He initially tried to reverse the roles, claiming that it was the victim who had attempted to attack him. Cornered, he then asserted that he was possessed by a "Rab" (spirit), claiming to be acting under a mystical influence. This strategy, however, crumbled when his own mother, called to testify, stated unequivocally that her son was "of sound mind" and not possessed by any spirit.

The verdict: clemency after forgiveness

Despite the prosecutor's request for a two-year prison sentence, the defense argued that the defendant was an adolescent and that the act had not been completed. Taking into account the victim's apology in court, the court ultimately sentenced S. Sall to a six-month suspended sentence, the Gfm headline concludes.