Court commutes juvenile thieves gang’s life-term

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 29: The Court of Appeals overturned life sentence slapped on a gang of juveniles specialized in robbing the houses of wealthy people in their absence from the country during summer. Instead, the court decided to refrain from issuing a verdict. Earlier, members of the gang were sentenced to various jail terms ranging from 5 to 10 years with hard labor, although three of them were issued a life term without parole.

Defense attorney of a gang member sentenced to life imprisonment, lawyer Fareeh Al-Kouh, discarded the charges leveled against his client due to contradictory statements made by witnesses and lack of substantial evidence, besides the fact that his client had refused the charges from the beginning of the investigation.

The gang is said to have broken into the house of a wealthy lady and committed robbery with violence after they held the domestic workers in the house captive and threatened to kill them with knives. Lawyer Al-Kouh concluded his plea by reiterating that the plaintiff dropped the charges, invoking Article 81 of court procession that allowed the court to refrain from issuing a verdict.

Citizen acquitted: The Court of Appeals presided over by Judge Anwar Attallah Al-Enezi upheld the lower court’s verdict that acquitted a citizen of acquisition and possession of narcotics (hashish and crystal meth). Representing the defendant lawyer Muhammad Al-Mutairi faulted the arrest and search procedures carried out by the arresting officer—as his client was neither under suspicion nor caught red handed with narcotics.

Lawyer Al-Mutairi argued that statement given by the officer was irrational and lacked substantial evidence, as he tried to insinuate that the defendant was under suspicion and prompting the arrest and search procedures without obtaining necessary authority to do so.

By Jaber Al- Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff

This news has been read 5996 times!