Dubai: A chief judge has instructed prosecutors to urge a psychiatrists’ panel to speed up psychiatriac evaluation of a man on death row for kidnapping, raping and killing an eight-year-old boy.

Last month, the Dubai Appeal Court referred the 49-year-old Jordanian, Nidal Eisa Abdullah, to a special panel of psychiatrists at Rashid Hospital to decide whether he was aware of his actions when he kidnapped, raped and killed eight-year-old Jordanian, Obaida Sedqi, on May 20.

“The panel has not provided the appellate court with the requested medical report [pertaining to Abdullah’s sanity]. Prosecutors have to contact the panel and urge them to speed up the mission that they have been commissioned to do. The report should be handed to the court when it reconvenes on November 27,” said chief judge Eisa Mohammad Al Sharif in court.

In August, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted Abdullah and sentenced him to death.

In the previous hearing, chief judge Al Sharif said the psychiatrists’ panel will examine the convict’s sanity to decide whether he was mentally ill when the incident happened [May 20] and whether he was aware of his behaviour and actions

After having missed three consecutive hearings, jail wardens used legal force and produced the convict in court.

“Your Honour, who appointed a lawyer to defend me? I did not appoint any lawyer,” said the convict as he addressed the court.

“Here is your lawyer. The court appointed him,” replied chief judge Al Sharif as he pointed at the court-appointed lawyer Ali Musabbeh Dahi.

“I do not want a lawyer … God is my lawyer. I have not seen a lawyer since a month,” said Abdullah.

“You have a court-appointed lawyer and he will represent you,” replied the chief judge as he ordered the jail wardens to take Abdullah back into the dock.

The convict had missed three trials in a row before the appeal court ordered him to be brought using legal force. Sunday’s trial is his second appearance before the Appeal Court.

Advocate Dahi told the court earlier: “The defendant had requested the primary court to refer him to a psychiatrists’ committee to examine his sanity after claiming that he suffers a mental illness. The primary court rejected his request. The defence want the accused’s sanity to be examined to be able to know whether he suffered any mental illness or instability at the time the crime happened.”

When he showed up before the appellate court, Abdullah admitted that he killed Obaida but denied kidnapping and raping the victim.

Records said Abdullah kidnapped Obaida on May 20 from his father’s garage in Sharjah and then raped and killed him in Al Mamzar. He admitted before the primary court that he raped and murdered Obaida but denied kidnapping the victim, who he said willingly sat with him in the car. He also admitted that he drank liquor and drove his vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

The lawyer of Obaida’s family, Obaid Al Mazmi, was also present at the Appeal Court.