(JollofNews) – An IT teacher in the Gambia who was arrested for being in possession of pornographic videos and pictures of Gambian school girls has been granted bail by a local magistrate.
Habib Valentine Warritay is charged with trafficking of obscene publications, contrary to Section 165 of the Criminal Code, Laws of The Gambia.
State prosecutors said while working as a teacher at SOS Hermann Gmeiner Senior Secondary School in Bakoteh, Mr Warritay sometime in the month of December 2015, in breach of his professionalism, had a stash of pornographic videos and pictures of unknown persons and students from various schools.
Prosecutors added that with the intention of ‘exposing school children to immoral behaviour’ Mr Warritay exhibited such pornographic videos and pictures to some of his students.
He pleaded not guilty to the offence and was a D50,000 bail by Magistrate Omar Jabang of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.
In August 2014, the government of the Gambia passed a controversial law that imposed tough penalties for producing and selling pornographic materials.
Under the new legislation, it is an offence to produce, publish, procure, import, export and sell any form of pornography into the West African nation.
The legislation imposed a mandatory fine of not less than D20, 000 or a ten-year jail term or both for anyone guilty of participating in the production, trafficking, and publication of pornography.
The legislation also imposed a similar punishment for anyone guilty of producing or participating in the production or trafficking or publication or helping in the production of pornography depicting images of children.
