JEDDAH: The Jeddah summary court is to deliver its verdict today into the case of the notorious joy rider known as Abu Kab — the “guy with the cap” — who was behind the wheel of a car that crashed while performing a driving stunt killing his three young passengers.
Bader Khethela, the father of two of the boys who died, told Arab News that investigations have shown that the case is a criminal one and that Abu Kab should be severely punished.
Khethela said that his sons — Ahmad, 14, and Abdul Aziz, 11 — were not friends with Abu Kab and that he had kidnapped them. “I have trust in the authorities and judges, and I am sure they would give us our rights,” he said.
He said that Abu Kab is a lieutenant and was violating the Kingdom’s laws. “He has 66 documented joy riding violations. He is a naval officer and should have adhered to safety laws,” he added.
Abu Kab was previously sentenced to death. However, the Cassation Court — which is tasked with endorsing capital punishments — ordered a re-trial after considering the death penalty too extreme for a case involving accidental death. The Jeddah summary court is now expected to deliver its verdict today after a previous hearing on Jan. 27 was postponed due to Abu Kab failing to turn up.
Abu Kab will most likely be sentenced to jail and lashes, and made to pay blood money. Arab News was unable to speak to his lawyer, Khaled Abu Rashid, who previously acknowledged that his client is 100 percent guilty and needs to be punished but not killed.
Saleh Al-Ghamdi, the lawyer representing Bader Khethela, previously said that Abu Kab deserves the “maximum punishment, particularly because he is working in the security sector.”
