SM Sène, 25, appeared before the criminal court of the Thiès High Court on charges of rape, pedophilia, and abduction of a minor. He is accused of forcing F. Guèye, a 16-year-old girl, to have non-consensual sex. The alleged events took place on the night of Gamou in 2021 in Thiénaba.

The victim stated that, for the occasion, she had left Ngaparou to stay at SM Sène's residence. According to her account, at nightfall, the accused allegedly forced her towards the railway tracks to assault her.

"He suggested we go to the official Gamou ceremony together. He then led me to the railway tracks, to a secluded spot. He laid me down on some cardboard boxes before undressing me. When I started screaming, he gagged me, then he penetrated me. After he did it, he asked me to accuse a stranger. But I went back to his mother to tell her everything," F. Guèye confided. His mother is demanding 500,000 FCFA in compensation.

The defendant, SM Sène, denied the accusations. "It's true she was at my place, but we were never alone that night. I never took her to the train station. The only time we went out together was to go to the corner shop. I never had sexual relations with her," the accused contested, while specifying that he had a good relationship with the victim and wanted to marry her.

Ms. Diop, the defendant's mother, testified in favor of her son, stating that the victim had never spoken to her about being raped by SM Sène. "She told me that they were talking at the railway when an individual surprised them and threatened to call the police. She claimed that my son had run away and that it was this individual who raped her at knifepoint. But I found no signs of assault on her," she recounted.

According to the public prosecutor, the defendant and his mother attempted to cover up the events. He noted that after the incident, the victim was surrounded only by the accused's relatives. The prosecution emphasized that the bloodstained skirt constituted damning evidence. Believing guilt to be established, they requested a 10-year prison sentence.

The defense, led by Mr. Ayi, contested this interpretation, pointing out that the medical certificate submitted to the case file indicated an "old hymenal tear." The lawyer emphasized that the victim had initially accused a stranger, which, in his view, raised serious doubts. Mr. Ayi argued that there was no physical evidence and requested an outright acquittal.

The case is adjourned for deliberation until February 10, 2026.