Cassation Court upholds death sentence in UK teacher’s murder
The long wait for justice for British female teacher Lauren Patterson, who was brutally murdered by a Qatari man and burned in the desert, has finally reached a conclusion.
Yesterday, a Doha court upheld the death penalty in the retrial of Badr Hashim Khamis Abdallah Al Jabr, who was found guilty of stabbing 24-year-old Patterson and then burning her body in the Qatari desert in October, 2013, reported Gulf Times.
“The defendant was fully aware of the consequences of his actions,” Doha’s court of cassation ruled. It added that Jabr, who was not in court, should face the death penalty, the original verdict handed down in 2014. In a lengthy verdict read out in court, the judge dismissed all aspects of Jabr’s defence.
Use of capital punishment is rare in Qatar, with the last known case of the death penalty being carried out thought to date back to 2003. The judge said any death penalty would be carried out by hanging or shooting, reported The Peninsula.
Lauren's mother, Alison, who has regularly travelled to the Gulf for hearings, was in court on Sunday. She wept as details of the crime were read out and afterwards hugged other family members and friends who were present.
Earlier this month, she said before the same court that she did not want to forgive Jabr, although she had told AFP she did not believe in the death penalty.
At various points, the defence had argued vehemently that Jabr had acted in self-defence, was mentally incapable at the time of the murder, was interrogated by police without a lawyer and that the young teacher had committed suicide.
Jabr's accomplice Mohamed Abdallah Hassan Abdul Aziz, who helped to burn the body, was previously sentenced to three years in jail.
Jabr now has 60 days to launch any further appeal.
When one bread earner leave about 6 lives are badly affected ........... they are parents , wife & 3 kids ......... Again society has to support them to stand up on their feet .... so we came backward by about 20 - 30 years when the guy's kids would grow up , get educated and find a decent job .............
Yet some parts of the world the Human Rights organizations cry for death penalties. The rule of law is very simple blood vs blood.
For us, the world, there could not be any difference with one person less or more but if we imagine that our departure is in a forced manner and no one is going to gain anything out of it then all the philosophy goes in vain ............. .... ... Why would one insist for an action where there is nothing to come out, no benefit, no change in your own life, but a precious human life would go off ? We should open our minds, think for fellow humans, give them space as well. We won't be seeing each other again & again after this life so why to sow the seed of revenge ? ....... ..... To err is human & forgive is divine ........ ......
Just when you think that the comments couldn't get any sillier , QL surprises you .... how could this be a mistake
Guys think from the humanity's angle ............. We can not have a balanced thought when we are emotional .......... Why can't we think that the Lauren was our sisiter & Jabr is our bro ... ? .... Here is the key .......
We suffered before by loosing one sister. That's true.
Who will suffer now after loosing one sister & one bro more over that. ..... ?
If our bro goes ..... we can't get our sister back ........ she is not around also to see if any justice has happened or not ........ !!
Mistakes do happen, we all know what is good & what is bad but circumstances do effect our instant decisions which may be based on the loose ground ....... ........
by killing only maybe suspect has the little chance to be forgiven by the family's victim. But burning after killing?! That is beyond doubt that the suspect truly under high criminal mind.
who killed shall be kill. that's justice and
that's Qur'an and Sunnah.
If Jabr was forgive then whoever kill someone in a future shall be forgive.
Idiots cannot understand the Law. Pure & Simple.
ask your relatives to forgive him when he kills you next time.
He deserves the death penalty for his crime - justice for the victim. Pure and simple
Lets wait for the 60 days if the situation changes ........... we have lost one human life already .............. can we afford to loose one more ? .......... human life is very precious ..... we all know ........ it is once only .......... forgiving is divine .........
There are two sides of the story .............. ............ Ms Alison had a huge loss, that is true, but Jabr's life is at a turning point now .......................
Justice for the victim