The morality affair which shook public opinion in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic is returning to the forefront of the legal scene. BN, plumber and former Red Cross volunteer, appeared yesterday, Tuesday, before the Dakar Criminal Chamber. Initially prosecuted for rape against Mb.G., a patient confined at the Novotel hotel in 2020, the accused now faces charges reclassified as “indecent assault.” The prosecution requested a sentence of seven years in prison, informs L’Observateur.
The newspaper which reviews the facts says that in 2020, while Senegal was fighting against the spread of Covid-19, the Novotel hotel had been requisitioned to accommodate patients. It is in this context that Mb.G., confined for health reasons, allegedly suffered reprehensible acts on the part of BN, a Red Cross agent responsible for ensuring her well-being.
The complainant accuses the former volunteer of raping her in her hotel room after gaining her trust. According to his testimony, the accused was considerate before becoming oppressive. “He pushed me by force on the bed… I struggled in vain,” she said on the stand. She claimed that the Red Cross agent “allegedly used a glove as a condom before committing the act.”
In its defense, BN denied the facts. He maintained that he never entered the room and only responded to requests for assistance regarding a water problem. The hearing debates highlighted several inconsistencies in the victim’s testimony, the newspaper said. In turn, she evokes a rape, then an attempt. These contradictions led the prosecution to reclassify the charges as “indecent assault.”
The prosecutor nevertheless recalled that victims of sexual assault can present memory problems due to the trauma. However, a medical certificate included in the file only noted an old, non-hemorrhagic tear, which did not make it possible to confirm with certainty an act of rape. He requested 7 years in prison.
After four years of preventive detention, BN will have to wait until January 21 to learn his fate.
Senegal
