“I stole to pay for my mother’s prescriptions”: Fallou’s defense fails to keep him out of prison in Thiès

Mr. Fallou appeared before the Thiès court to answer charges of theft. He was accused of stealing Mr. Amar's mobile phone, valued at an estimated 150,000 FCFA, before reselling it for only 30,000 FCFA to Mbaye, a phone seller who was himself being prosecuted for receiving stolen goods.

According to the investigation, Fallou had gone to Mr. Amar's home. To distract him, he allegedly asked him for a drink of water. Taking advantage of the moment when the victim got up to pour it, he reportedly stole his phone, concealed it in his pocket, and left.

After noticing his device was missing, Mr. Amar reviewed the CCTV footage from his home. He reportedly identified Fallou and then went looking for him.

When questioned, he admitted to the facts and indicated that he had resold the phone to Mbaye.

" I stole to pay for my mother's prescriptions."

In court, the two defendants did not contest the facts.

Fallou admitted to stealing the phone before selling it for 30,000 FCFA. To explain his actions, he cited the difficulties he was facing, claiming he used the money to pay for his sick mother's prescriptions.

Mbaye, for his part, admitted to buying and then reselling the phone. However, he maintained that he was unaware the device was stolen. According to his statements, he resold it for 35,000 FCFA.

The public prosecutor has requested the application of the law.

At the end of the proceedings, the court found both defendants guilty. Fallou was sentenced to two months in prison and fined 20,000 FCFA. Mbaye received a one-month prison sentence and a fine of 20,000 FCFA.