Thiès: Accused of attempted motorcycle theft in Jakarta, a father faces two months in prison

A family man with no apparent criminal record, A. Ndiaye is being prosecuted for the attempted theft of a Jakarta motorcycle in the middle of the Thiès market. Accused of trying to steal the vehicle belonging to a man named B. Diaw, he appeared this Monday before the local court where he categorically denied the charges against him.

In court, the defendant explained that he had initially gone to the market to buy school supplies for his children. According to his account, he noticed a Jakarta motorcycle with its engine still running, even though its owner was away. He claims he then sat on the motorcycle, not to take it, but out of kindness, to watch over it until its driver returned.

A. Ndiaye maintains that it was precisely at this moment that B. Diaw intervened, grabbed him abruptly, and branded him a thief, inciting public outrage. The defendant claims he was then assaulted by witnesses at the scene before being handed over to the police.

A broken steering bar that weighs a lot

Confronted with his statements made during the preliminary investigation, the defendant was pressed to clarify his account of the motorcycle's steering bar, which he had admitted to breaking before the prosecutor. His defense strategy shifted in court: A. Ndiaye refuted this version, claiming to have only heard a creaking sound from the steering and suggesting that the bar might have broken accidentally under his weight.

This line of defense was rejected by B. Diaw, who filed a civil suit and maintained all of his accusations. The owner told the judge that he had caught the defendant deliberately forcing and breaking the steering bar to maneuver the vehicle.

Considering the facts sufficiently established, the public prosecutor requested a sentence of two years imprisonment, including two months of actual imprisonment.

The court has taken the case under advisement and will deliver its judgment on October 26, 2026.