Dubai: Forensic doctors have not verified the cause of death of an eight-year-old girl, who was tortured by her father to death, because her body was decomposed, it was revealed Monday.
“Regretfully the forensic doctor could not verify the cause of the death of eight-year-old Wudeema Hamad Al Shirawi because her body was decomposed and disfigured. Wudeema and her seven-year-old sister Meera were grounded in their father’s flat where they were unlawfully confined, tortured and scorched with several tools over a period close to six months,” Senior Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Ali Rustom, who headed a special team of prosecutors that handled the investigations, told a media gathering yesterday.
Dubai’s Attorney General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan said: “The Emirati father, Hamad Saud Al Shirawi, and his countrywoman crime partner Al Onoud Mohammad Al A’ameri have been charged with illegally confining Wudeema and Meera. Prosecutors also charged them with using extensive force and torturing the girls and burning their bodies with an ironing machine and electric prods. They also poured hot water on their bodies. They were accused of torturing the girls physically and emotionally. The suspects’ actions led to Wudeema’s death and Meera sustained permanent disability. We have referred the suspects to the Dubai Court of First Instance and asked for the implementation of a capital punishment.
Al Shirawi and Al Onoud were also accused of burying Wudeema in a remote sandy area without obtaining proper permission from the authorities, Al Humaidan told the press on Monday.
Two weeks ago, Al Humaidan assigned Rustom to head a special team of prosecutors from the Family and Juveniles Prosecution (FJP), that worked round the clock and heard witnesses and questioned the defendants.
“The couple detached themselves from any sort of humanity and mercy when they tortured the girls. The girls were locked up in the flat where they were tortured and burnt and left without food. We have asked the court to implement the Federal Penal Code’s article 344. The article stipulates that a suspect could face a capital punishment or a life imprisonment if he/she locks up a victim against his/her will and the confinement leads to the victim’s death,” said the Attorney General.
Rustom, who heads FJP, said according to the accusation sheet, the suspected father and his accomplice tortured Meera until she sustained 10 per cent permanent disability on different parts of her body.
“The crime happened over a period of six months that started before May 31. During questioning the farther claimed that he did so to discipline his daughters because they were disobedient. Meanwhile, Al Onoud claimed that she was afraid of Hamad to stop him… Meera’s statement matched all the findings on how she and her sister were beaten and tortured. Currentl,y she has been admitted to Dubai’s Women and Children Foundation where she is getting rehabilitation and support,” said Rustom.
Al Humaidan described the father “as a beast who repeatedly and gruesomely tortured Meera even after Wudeema died”.
Wudeema’s body was found buried in Al Badayer area in Sharjah.
“Our investigation showed that the suspects are not married. They have been referred to the Dubai Misdemeanor Court where they will be prosecuted for having consensual sex,” said Rustom.
