Dubai attorney general ‘will not rest until Obaida’s killer is dead’

Essam Al Humaidan posted the statement on Twitter after Dubai Court of Appeal said it will announce its verdict in the case of the 9-year-old who was raped and murdered this month.

DUBAI // Dubai’s attorney general said that he would not rest until the death penalty against the man who raped and killed nine-year-old Obaida Al Aqrabawi was carried out.

Essam Al Humaidan posted the statement on Dubai Public Prosecution’s official Twitter account after Dubai Court of Appeal said it would announce its verdict in the case on January 22.

His comments were triggered by the defence argument in court in which Nidal Eisah Abdullah Abu Ali’s appointed lawyer said that the defendant’s mental assessment report did not clarify whether him being an antisocial person was a disease or not.

The attorney general said this was an attempt by the lawyer to convince the court that the defendant suffers from a mental illness, in the hope of earning a reduced sentence.

“Bringing justice after what happened to Obaida is our responsibility. We carry the heavy weight of his blood, and Dubai Public Prosecution will not accept less than the death penalty. We will follow this case through appeal, cassation and until the moment the killer is executed,” Mr Al Humaidan said.

Jordanian Obaida was kidnapped on May 20 last year while playing outside his father’s garage in Sharjah’s industrial area. His body was found two days later in Al Warqa, Dubai.

The killer, 48-year-old Abu Ali, who is also Jordanian, was handed the death penalty by Dubai Criminal Court on August 15 last year on charges of kidnap, rape, premeditated murder and consuming alcohol, as well as driving while under the influence of alcohol.