Dubai: An Emirati man on death row for raping and killing a four-year-old boy in a mosque's washroom on Eid Al Adha last year has pleaded for leniency from the Dubai Appeals Court.
The 30-year-old man, R.R., who was given a death sentence by the Dubai Court of First Instance last week, is set to appear before Presiding Judge Eisa Al Sharif on Sunday.
R.R., who was convicted of raping and murdering four-year-old Mousa, appealed the primary judgment last week and is seeking leniency and a reduced punishment.
Chief Prosecutor Yousuf Foulaz earlier asked the three-member jury to hand down the toughest punishment applicable — capital punishment for R.R.
Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir and his two deputies, judges Dr Ali Al Galadari and Mansour Al Awadhi, sentenced R.R. to death after serving six months in jail for consuming liquor.
Obsessed paedophile
The case has attracted unprecedented media and public interest since it happened last November. Psychiatric experts testified that although the suspect is a paedophile obsessed with boys he is stable and sane.
According to the UAE law, the public prosecution automatically appeals a death sentence before the higher court. The verdict is then appealed a second and final time before Dubai's highest court, the Court of Cassation.
R.R. was arrested soon after he raped and killed the boy on November 27, the first day of Eid Al Adha.
