Nabeel loses appeal of his death sentence

High Court has voted in favor of upholding the death sentence Criminal Court meted out to Mohamed Nabeel of G. Reef for murder of Abdulla Faruhad of S. Hithadhoo – Lilymaage.

Faruhad was murdered with a cutter blade on the night of March 8, 2009.

Juvenile Court had ruled earlier that Nabeel and some other people had dragged Faruhadh – who had been walking near Nalahiya Hotel – into the “UN Park” in front of Sosun Store and beat him.

The ruling said that after being dragged into UN Park, Faruhadh had been asked if he had done anything offensive to Nabeel’s younger sister Aminath Niuma, to which he had said no. Nabeel and his companions had kicked Faruhadh with their feet, and the cutter blade that Nabeel threw has Faruhad tried to run away from them had hit his back – which the doctor’s report had said was the cause of his death.

Nabeel had confessed during the investigation that he had used the cutter blade on Nabeel; while his sister Niuma had given her statement in which she said that she had witnessed the whole incident. Nabeel denied having said that during trial.

High Court upheld Juvenile Court’s ruling on the case and said that state had provide sufficient evidence to prove Nabeel’s guilt.

High Court had also noted that Nabeel and Niuma’s statements during the investigation in which they described the whole incident corresponded with witnesses who testified during trial.

During the earlier trial, Nabeel said that he had signed the statement earlier without reading it because he had been scared. High Court said that state had provided a video of Nabeel going through the statement for a long time before signing it.

High Court also said that defense had provided no concrete evidence to discredit anything Niuma had said about her brother in her statement.

Chief judge in the appeal hearing, Judge Abdulla Hameed said that Nabeel’s actions fit premeditated murder perfectly.

All judges presiding over the appeal hearing ruled unanimously on upholding the death sentence.

Other judges presiding over the appeal hearing were, Judge Ali Samir, Judge Abdulla Didi, Judge Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, and Judge Sujau Usman.

Nabeel was convicted of the murder in 2010.

Charges had also been pressed against Ali Razeen of M. Bluelake Lodge, and Ibrahim Naufal of M. Rey Alivaage. Prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence that they had participated in Faruhad’s murder and they were meted out smaller 4-year jail sentences for disrupting sleep.