KUWAIT CITY, June 25: The Criminal Court has acquitted a man of kidnapping a girl and raping her, while it sentenced his friend to 15 years in prison with hard labor for the same charges. Case files indicate that the Public Prosecution charged the two friends with kidnapping the victim. This was done by force and trickery, as they agreed to track her down after she left the house of one of the accused without his knowledge.

The two followed her and as soon as they caught up with her, they blocked her path and forced her to get into the car, with one of the accused getting out, pushed her inside, and tried to take her to her residence. Then, they took her to a desert area, away from the eyes of her family and guardians.

One of the accused tried to rape her. One of the accused was charged based on the fact that he connived with the other accused and that as soon as he got hold of her alone in the car, he drove away and raped her. The lawyer of the other accused, Attorney Enam Haider, appeared before the court and argued that the elements of the crime of kidnapping were absent, the investigations were inconclusive, the confession of his client was invalid, and case documents lacked evidence that his client committed the crime.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud, Munif Naif
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff and Agencies