I finally have peace, father says

Victim's family satisfied by death sentence as relative of killer say he has disowned him.

Mukhtiar Ahmed Khudabaksh, Moosa's father, outside his home in Dubai.

DUBAI // Mukhtiar Ahmed Khudabaksh, the father of four-year-old Moosa, said yesterday that he had finally found some peace. Tears flowed down his cheeks as the judges at Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced his son's murderer to death. Clutching his eldest son, Mustafa, in his arms, Mr Khudabaksh raised his head to look at the killer one last time before he was hurried away by the guards.

"I am relieved. Finally I have got some peace," he said. After the sentence, the grieving father left the court and headed straight for the mosque in Al Shabiat that had been the scene of his son's brutal death. "I went and prayed in the same mosque where my son was killed. Everyone asked me what happened in court and they were all happy that he was punished," he said. The mood in the courtroom was tense as Moosa's family waited for the verdict. Mr Khudabaksh said he had not slept all night.

"I have been waiting for this. Our lives have been revolving around this day," he said. He sat on the court bench with Mustafa, seven, on his lap. Moosa's uncles sat next to him, consoling the emotional father. The case was the last to be called in the packed courtroom. The killer, Rashid al Rashidi, wearing a loose-fitting cream-coloured prison-issue uniform, walked into the courtroom flanked by guards. He had cried and shown remorse during earlier hearings; now, appearing tired and with unkempt hair and a long beard, he seemed calm and wore a blank expression.

When the judge read out his sentence, al Rashidi remained composed, as though he had expected to face the firing squad. As soon as the death sentence was declared, Mr Khudabaksh looked to the heavens and thanked God. An emotionless al Rashidi was rushed out of the court by officers. Outside the court, Mr Khudabaksh could not contain his emotions. Looking exhausted, he said: "I am happy and relieved. This is what I wanted. This man deserved this sentence."

He thanked the people who had supported him and said he was content with the decision. Relatives and friends later gathered at the family's home in Al Shabiat. "Many people came up to me and supported me. It's the prayers of all that has resulted in this verdict," Mr Khudabaksh said, his eyes filling with tears every time he spoke. He sat with Mustafa and his 14-month-old daughter, Mariyam, as he shared memories of his beloved Moosa.

"Moosa was a good son. He was the favourite of his mother and always slept beside her," he said. Mr Khudabaksh called his wife directly from the court after the verdict. "She cried when she heard the verdict. She has been suffering since this happened. Every parent loves their children and can't see them suffer," he said. Just a few streets away, the mood at al Rashidi's home was sober. His room, which adjoins his family's villa and has a separate entrance, was locked. His family refused to be associated with him.

"We have nothing to do with him anymore. He did not belong in this home," said his stepbrother, who declined to be named. Moosa's uncle, Safdarbaksh Wahedbaksh, said the family knew al Rashidi had lived nearby. "We know where he lives. We did not bother going there. We only want him to be punished. As long as he is in jail, we feel safe here." [e-mail]