The Court of Cassation has ordered the retrial of a father and a stepmother who severely abused their nine-year-old daughter because they were tried without a lawyer.
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance found the two guilty of beating their daughter and convicted them of abuse and causing risk of death; the case drew wide attention and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited the girl in the hospital and spoke against child abuse.
The parents were sentenced to 10 years in prison in April last year. They appealed and, two months later, the Appellate Court reduced the sentence to seven years.
Both the prosecutors, who asked for the maximum sentence, and the parents appealed the verdict again. The Court of Cassation sent the case back to the appeal court because of procedural errors.
According to Ali al Abbadi, the parents' lawyer, the court rejected the verdict because the lower courts never appointed a new lawyer for the parents - a requirement because they could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
The court also found that the family's maid - who did not speak good Arabic - testified to police and prosecutors without a translator, he said.
The child was brought to Al Mafraq Hospital bleeding from cuts and suffering from burns and bruises in April 2009. The father told police and doctors that the girl had fallen off her bicycle, but a medical examination confirmed she had been "severely abused".
Police found evidence the child had been beaten by her father and stepmother, who were subsequently arrested.
After the Appellate Court, the case could be referred to the Court of Cassation for a final verdict.
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Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
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Rating: 3/5
Brown/Black belt finals
3pm: 49kg female: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) v Thamires Aquino (BRA)
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3.49pm: 77kg male: Oliver Lovell (GBR) v Tommy Langarkar (NOR)
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Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
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Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
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1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81
3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66
4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid