Repentant prisoner serving life asks for pardon

Dubai: A prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998 for armed robbery and kidnapping has asked for a pardon after spending 15 years behind bars.

Anil Shamsuddine Mohammad Shamsuddine lodged a special plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance, asking to be released from the Dubai Central Jail after spending 15 years and nine months in prison from the time of his arrest.

The prisoner told the judge that he now regretted committing the heinous crime.

"Sir, I was awarded a life sentence in 1998. I have repented and regret what I did," Shamsuddine told Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad when he appeared in Courtroom Four yesterday.

"I have spent 15 years and nine months behind prison bars. I am seeking [the court's] pardon and hope to be released soon."

Court records show that the prisoner lodged a special plea to be released with the management of the Dubai Central Jail under Article 45 of Law No 43 of 1992 on Regulating Punitive and Reformative Establishments.

The law states that a prisoner who has completed 15 years of a life sentence is entitled to file a special petition asking to be released from prison.

Gulf News has learnt that a social worker who examined Shamsuddine inside prison reported that the prisoner had repented and become a new person. He also said Shamsuddine had memorised the Quran.

"He became a totally different person. He repeatedly tried to communicate with the Indian family, whom he attacked, to ask them for forgiveness and express his feeling of guilt and remorse for what he did… but he could not reach them after all these years," the social worker said in his report.

Excellent conduct

The social worker went on to state that Shamsuddine's conduct behind bars was "excellent" and said the prisoner had "good plans for his future".

On January 9, 1998, Shamsuddine was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping a family's seven-year-old son before demanding a Dh1 million ransom. The court issued an irrevocable life sentence.

According to court records, a masked Shamsuddine broke into an Indian family's residence in Al Rifaa where he stole Dh2,300 at knifepoint.

Shamsuddine taped the seven-year-old boy's mouth shut before putting him in a bag, which he then placed in his car. He then locked up the family in a bathroom in the house before fleeing. Shamsuddine contacted the family over the phone and demanded a ransom of Dh1 million for the boy's release.

According to prosecution records, the boy's father managed to negotiate the figure down to Dh500,000.

Shamsuddine was arrested outside Sharjah Airport where he had agreed to drop off the boy.

Prosecutors asked the court to approve Shamsuddine's plea and have him released. Presiding Judge Abdul Jawad will issue a decision on April 23.