JEDDAH, 17 November 2007 — A summary court here sentenced an international Saudi player to 80 lashes for driving under the influence of alcohol and then causing an accident, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
The player — whose name, the game he plays and the name of his club have all been withheld — was said to have been driving on King Abdul Aziz Road in Jeddah under the influence of alcohol. He crashed into another car and caused heavy damage to both the vehicles. The driver of the other car was seriously injured.
Judge Saleh Al-Zahrani, who heard the case, sentenced the player to 80 lashes because of the seriousness of the accident. The damage to the other car, owned by a Saudi and driven by a Pakistani, was estimated at SR12,000.
The traffic police, on arriving at the crash site, saw the condition of the player and immediately transferred the case to the Commission for General Investigation and Prosecution. The case was then presented in the court where the player was sentenced.
Al-Watan said some important personalities tried to intercede on behalf of the player, seeking a lighter sentence. The pleas fell on deaf ears as the judge, the Pakistani driver and his Saudi employer all stood firm.
