New death penalty hearing for Abu Dhabi motorist who ran over boy

The Pakistani man had been sentenced to death for running over after the 12-year-old Sudanese boy whom he believed had thrown trash into his car.

ABU DHABI // The death sentence on a man who deliberately ran over and killed a 12-year-old boy has been overturned.

The Court of Cassation sent the case back to the Court of Appeal to reconsider the sentence.

The driver, a Pakistani expatriate, had been sitting in his car in Musaffah in October 2012 when three boys opened the door and threw in a pile of rubbish.

The children ran away and were joined by a fourth boy, Hazaa Khaled from Sudan. The driver believed Hazaa had thrown the rubbish, drove after the boy and knocked him down.

He denied denied intending to kill the boy, and said he meant only to scare him and was driving at only 40kph. However, scientific evidence showed the car’s impact was so powerful that it crushed the boy’s skull.

Abu Dhabi Criminal Court found the man guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay blood money of Dh200,000 and compensation of Dh21,000 to the boy’s parents.

The case then went to the appeals court, which sentenced him to death.