Call for new psychological test of child killer

The lawyer defending the killer of Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed asks an appeal court to sanction a second psychological examination of his client.

The lawyer defending the killer of four-year-old Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed today asked an appeal court to sanction a second psychological examination of his client. Abdel al Midrib told the court the initial evaluation of Rashid al Rashidi's state of mind had not been thorough enough, having only examined whether the killer was responsible for his actions or not. Al Rashidi, a fishing boat captain, was sentenced to death on January 27 by Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance having been convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering young Moosa in the toilet of a mosque on the first day of Eid al Adha last year. Capital punishment verdicts automatically go to appeal. Mr al Midrib said today that a more comprehensive examination of al Rashidi's psychology might uncover a mental disorder which could explain his behaviour. "The defendant must undergo a psychological examination to find out what made him carry out such an act. What he did is not a normal behaviour and he must have some form of psychological illness and by having him examined by a psychologist or sociologist we will be able to find out what exactly is his problem," said Mr al Midrib after the hearing. If a psychological illness was proved, al Rashidi's death sentence could be overturned, he added. Unless the appeal court overturns the lower court's decision, al Rashidi will face a firing squad after serving six months behind bars for consuming alcohol on the night of the murder. [e-mail]