KUWAIT CITY, June 9: In a deterrent ruling for security personnel by the Criminal Court, a police officer was sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor for breaking the jaw of a suspected drug user during the latter’s arrest, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The court refrained from pronouncing punishment for the suspected drug user and imposed KD300 bail for the possession of psychotropic substances.

According to the case file, the Public Prosecution charged the suspected drug user with possessing methamphetamine with the intention of using it without proving that he was legally allowed to do so. He allegedly assaulted a public sector employee – a corporal who arrested him and injured him as mentioned in the attached medical report and as stated in the investigations.

The police officer was also charged with intentionally inflicting harm on the accused, the injuries of whom were described in the forensics report, stating this caused him severe physical pain. Considering he is a public employee, the policeman used cruelty against the accused by assaulting him.

Lawyer for the accused drug user, Attorney Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan, argued that the confession of the officer was invalid because it contradicted the truth. He also cited the technical evidence in the documents, and that the arrest and search of his client were invalid because it went beyond the legal framework. Al-Qattan also confirmed that the elements of the crimes of inflicting severe physical pain and using cruelty against his client were present as proven in the flash drive attached to the case documents, showing the officer kicking his client and that the officer admitted kicking his client’s face.

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