Family want swift death for killer

The family of a murdered Pakistani man have called for the swift execution of his killer to avoid revenge attacks in his home country.

ABU DHABI // The family of a murdered Pakistani man have called for the swift execution of his killer to avoid a cycle of revenge attacks in his home country.

The Criminal Court of First Instance convicted FS, also Pakistani, yesterday of sexually assaulting and murdering the man in October 2009.

He was sentenced to three years in prison followed by execution. The verdict will be automatically appealed within 15 days because it includes capital punishment. If the Appeal Court upholds the sentence, the case will then go to the Court of Cassation - the highest local court.

The dead man's family said at yesterday's hearing that "everyone" in their area wanted the execution to take place as soon as possible to avoid a series of killings between the two families. Both are from the same area in Peshawar. "You know they are very traditional people.

It has to finish here and not in Pakistan," the victim's nephew, identifying himself as Ismail, said. The victim, who had been in the UAE for five years, had a son in Pakistan.

Prosecutors accused FS of luring the 26-year-old - who lived in the same labour camp - to a deserted area and attempting to have sex with him.

But FS's lawyer claimed that the victim had asked his client to go for a walk. He said the victim then pulled a knife from his trousers when they reached a dark, deserted area. "My client did not have any weapons ... and was surprised," the lawyer said. "He took the knife because he was terrified."

The lawyer said FS did not intend to kill as he was acting in self-defence.

He said forensic evidence that showed cuts on his client's hands confirmed FS had held the knife by its blade. However, Chief Justice Saeed Abdul Baseer ruled that DNA evidence corroborated the sex assault charge. [e-mail]