Family of murdered boy calls for death sentence
▶ Defence wants suspect’s mental faculties tested
The parents of an 11-yearold boy have asked that the man suspected of sexually assaulting and killing him be given the death sentence if he is found guilty.
In May, the body of Athan Janjua was found on the rooftop of the Abu Dhabi apartment building where he lived. He had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
A Pakistani man, identified as M B, who the court heard is loosely related to the family, is accused of committing the crime.
As is common in court cases, the parents, a Russian mother and Pakistani father, asked for the death penalty before the suspect was convicted.
Athan’s mother, Tatiana Kruzina, asked the court to compel the defendant’s sister to take a lie detector test while giving testimony.
“She might have known of her brother’s plan, but is denying it,” she said.
The court said a lie detector test was not applicable in the UAE.
The suspect’s lawyer, Hassan Al Riyami, requested his client be examined by a psychiatric panel and suggested M B suffers mental health problems.
“There is no way that a stable, sane person would commit such a crime,” he told the court.
The suspect allegedly lured the boy to the rooftop, assaulted him then choked him with a laundry line.
Mr Al Riyami also asked the court to allow him to sit alone with his client, in the presence of a translator, because the defendant cannot speak English or Arabic. The court advised him that was his right.
“The case file is huge and it requires some time to prepare my case,” he said.
The court advised Athan’s parents that it would take at least 45 days to prepare the psychiatric report. The case continues.
Suspect is charged with luring boy onto rooftop, assaulting him and strangling him with a laundry line