Accused on death row for rape, murder to appear in appeals court

Dubai: An Emirati man on death row for raping and killing a 4-year-old boy in a mosque's washroom on Eid Al Adha is scheduled to appear before Dubai Appeals Court on Sunday.

The 30-year-old R.R., who was given a death sentence by the Dubai Court of First Instance last month, is set to appear before Presiding Judge Eisa Al Sharif and ask for leniency or a reduced punishment.

R.R., who was convicted of raping and murdering Mousa, appealed the primary judgment last week and is seeking leniency. Dubai Public Prosecution also appealed the primary judgment and is seeking the Appeal Court to uphold the death punishment.

If not already assigned prior to Sunday's hearing, a lawyer is expected to be named by the appeal's jury to defend R.R.

According to the Criminal Procedures Law, a court assigns a lawyer to defend a suspect in crimes whose maximum punishment is the death penalty, such as murder, trafficking drugs, rape and other major crimes. A lawyer is only assigned by a court in cases involving suspects who are incapable of hiring one.

Chief Prosecutor Yousuf Foulaz earlier asked the three-member jury of the Court of First Instance to hand down the toughest punishment applicable — the death penalty for R.R.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir Fahmi 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.

During the Appeals Court adjudication, the case is expected to attract media and public interest similar to what it attracted during the proceedings in the Court of First Instance.

Psychiatric experts testified that although R.R. is a paedophile obsessed with boys he is stable and sane.

According to the UAE law, in case the Appeals Court upholds a death sentence, the public prosecution automatically appeals it before Dubai's highest court, the Court of Cassation.