The court of summary jurisdiction heard a rather unusual case involving Mr. Fall, a 23-year-old fishmonger residing in Malika. The young man was being prosecuted for trespassing and indecent assault.

Hidden and naked behind the door of Grandma's room

According to L'Observateur, the events unfolded early Saturday morning. Alerted by his younger brother's cries about an intruder, Mr. AB Ba searched the family home for the suspect. The intruder was eventually discovered behind the door of their grandmother's room, where the maid was also sleeping. Mr. Fall was hiding there, completely naked; his underwear was found a short distance away, near the front door. Shocked, the two brothers subdued him before the arrival of neighbors and the police.

"Mysterious crises" mentioned in court

In the dock, the defendant, in tears, stated that he was returning from the mosque and that he did not understand his own behavior. "I sometimes commit these kinds of acts without knowing what I am doing," he declared before the judges.

The defendant's mother, who came to testify on his behalf, claimed that her son was under the influence of "evil spirits," the newspaper reports. She stated that he had returned from the sea the previous day with red eyes and that he had exhibited similar behavior in the past, including breaking into homes at night while naked. When questioned by the prosecutor, she admitted to having consulted only traditional healers until then, which led the magistrate to strongly recommend that her son receive psychiatric treatment.

A fine of 20,000 CFA francs was imposed.

The prosecution, believing that the elements constituting indecent assault were not present, requested acquittal on that charge and demanded a fine of 25,000 CFA francs for the sole charge of trespassing. The court ultimately followed this recommendation in principle of partial acquittal, but set the fine at 20,000 CFA francs, the newspaper of the Future Media Group added.