Dubai: A court-appointed lawyer has asked to be excused from defending a man, who was sentenced to death for kidnapping, raping and killing an eight-year-old boy on May 20.

In the second hearing before the Dubai Appeal Court, the 49-year-old Jordanian man, Nidal Eisa Abdullah, refused to attend Sunday’s hearing.

In August, the Dubai Court of First Instance handed Abdullah capital punishment for kidnapping, raping and killing the eight-year-old Jordanian boy, Obaida Sedqi, while he was drunk.

Having been appointed by the primary court earlier and again by the appellate court, defence lawyer Omran Darwish asked presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif to be excused from defending Abdullah citing moral reasons.

“I was misinformed and not acquainted with certain important facts about the convict’s mental and legal status. I cannot allow my conscience to carry the burden of the child’s blood and that of the accused … that is why I ask the court to pardon me from defending the convict,” advocate Darwish told presiding judge Al Sharif.

In the previous appellate hearing, Abdullah admitted that he killed the boy but denied kidnap and rape.

Advocate Darwish contended before the appeal court that he was under the impression that the defendant suffered from a mental illness and that he had two medical reports confirming that. He also told the court that the accused had previously attempted to commit suicide twice.

“That was why I had asked the primary court to refer the accused to a committee of psychiatrists to examine his sanity … I kindly ask to be pardoned from defending him,” the lawyer told the court.

Presiding judge Al Sharif confirmed to Gulf News that the bench of judges approved excusing Darwish from defending the convict and that a new lawyer will appointed on Sunday.

Jail wardens informed the appellate court that the defendant refused to be brought from his detention to attend Sunday’s hearing.

The lawyer of Obaida’s family, Obaid Al Mazmi, produced before the Appeal Court a civil lawsuit in which he is seeking Dh21,000 in temporary compensation against his clients’ emotional and moral damages.

Prosecutors had accused Abdullah of kidnapping the boy on May 20 from his father’s garage in Sharjah and then raping and killing him in Al Mamzar. Earlier at the primary court, Abdullah admitted he raped and murdered Obaida but denied kidnapping the victim, who he said had willingly sat with him in the car.

The last time the father saw Obaida alive was in Abdullah’s car at 5pm shortly before the latter decided to kidnap and rape the eight-year-old, said records,

Records said the accused lured the boy to his car by offering to buy him a scooter and then he drove to Al Mamzar area in Dubai.

There, he moved the victim to the back seat and had forced sex with him. He assaulted the boy before he strangled him with a red ghotra when the victim tried to defend himself.