He wasted 15 years of his life over two dinars!

The Second Chamber of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Senior Judge Nasr Salem Al Haid and with Judges Mutaab Al-Aradi and Saud Al-San’ani as members, upheld the 15-year imprisonment with hard labor sentence for a citizen who beat a grocery store clerk in Al-Mutlaa, refused to pay the two dinars owed for his purchases, and stole goods. The perpetrator then drove his vehicle 30 meters after the victim had closed the car window with his hand, an act that caused the victim’s death.

The Public Prosecution had initially charged the defendant with intentionally killing the victim, alleging that after demanding payment for his purchases, the defendant assaulted him, closed the car window on his hand, dragged him 30 meters, and then released him by opening the window, causing him to fall to the ground with the intent to take his life, which resulted in his death. Additionally, the defendant stole movable property from the victim through the use of force.

A friend of the victim witnessed the incident and corroborated the findings of the investigations. Inquiry by the investigating officer revealed that the defendant, having a history of prior convictions for drug-related and theft offenses, was accustomed to stealing license plates. On the day of the incident, he used stolen plates to conceal the identity of the vehicle used in the crime and to avoid traffic violations. He also altered the vehicle’s appearance after the incident, repainting it to evade arrest.

The Criminal Court decided to amend the charge, ruling that the defendant had assaulted the victim without intent to kill, but his actions caused the injuries detailed in the forensic pathology reports, which ultimately led to the victim’s death as outlined in the investigation.