Beating compatriot to death:
Lankan jailed in Doha
A Sri Lankan man was sentenced by a Doha Court of first instance to
seven years imprisonment for “beating a compatriot to death.” The
victim’s family is entitled to get QR 200,000 blood money from the
accused, the Court ruled.
The judges heard that the two men were in love with a housemaid. A
scuttle between the two men in front of the woman’s room ended in one
man losing his life and the other severely injured. The latter was only
brought to Court after he recovered. Additionally, the Court sentenced
both the man and the woman to three years imprisonment and subsequent
deportation for maintaining illicit relationsship.
Diplomatic sources told Gulf Times that soon after the crime, the
29-year-old maid took shelter in her embassy and the police arrested her
in co-ordination with the mission staff. According to legal sources, the
incident took place in October 2008, but the ruling in the case was
given more than two years later as the judges preferred to wait for the
recovery of the accused. The woman’s room was adjoining to her sponsor’s
house in the Khartiyat area. The victim’s body was recovered three days
after the crime from a well in a nearby farm. According to the charge
sheet, the accused was in the woman’s room when the victim arrived to
give her some money. The woman took the money but stopped him from
entering the house, apparently to prevent a clash between the two men,
the Court heard.
The victim felt something was amiss and entered the room after
pushing the woman aside. The man inside suddenly appeared and the victim
brandished a knife and stabbed him in the chest. The injured man,
however, managed to snatch the knife and stabbed the victim, killing him
on the spot.
The defendant’s lawyer argued that his client was acting in self-defence
but the Court dismissed the claim. The public prosecution charged the
suspect with premeditated murder but the Court ruled that it was a
“beating to death” case. The Court underscored a forensic report that
said the victim could have been saved “if he was given proper medical
treatment.” The case has not moved to the Appeals Court.
The Gulf Times |