JEDDAH, 12 August 2007 — A 29-year-old man has been arrested for burning and beating his seven-year-old daughter to death, the daily Al-Madinah reported yesterday.
The girl, identified in the local press as Arij, died from two days of abuse in a house in Jeddah’s Al-Safa district. According to police, the man tried to cover up his crime with the help of his second wife.
The suspect reportedly wrested custody of Arij from his first wife. According to police, after murdering the girl, the father locked her in a room in the house with the key and called Civil Defense to say the daughter had locked herself inside the room. The Red Crescent informed authorities after finding the body with clear signs of abuse.
Police said the father admitted to the crime and blamed it on psychological stress. The stepmother is also being charged as an accomplice in the murder.
