Kuwaiti fashionista gets 3 years in jail over fatal road crash
August accident left 2 dead and triggered outcry against rash motorists
Cairo: A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a celebrated fashionista to three years in prison on charges of causing two deaths in a recent traffic accident, Kuwaiti media reported.
The misdeamnour court also ordered the defendant’s driving licence be withdrawn for one year. The verdict can be appealed.
Kuwaiti news portal Almajilis identified the defendant as online celebrity Fatma Al Moamen who was charged with manslaughter, driving past the red light and driving at high speed.
Al Moamen is a 30-year-old Kuwaiti beauty expert and fashion model.
The case is related to a traffic accident that occurred last August in the Kuwaiti capital, leaving two people dead and two others injured. The suspect was arrested following the crash.
The fashionista, whose name was not officially disclosed, was allegedly in an “abnormal” condition at the time of the crash and drove past the red light, local media reports said at the time.
She was reportedly driving at high speed and rammed into another car that was carrying four persons.
The accident sparked an outcry on social media, with some commentators calling for a tough penalty against her.
Some 335 deaths resulting from traffic accidents were registered last year in Kuwait, a country of around 4.6 million people, according to media reports.
In recent months, Kuwait has tightened measures against traffic violations. Last month, a traffic official disclosed that more than 18,000 expatriates had been deported from Kuwait in six months earlier this year due to different violations, including traffic infringements.