In its preliminary verdict, the court had sentenced a Saudi driver to death after he was convicted of causing the death of Muhammad Bahaddad in the accident.
The appeals court returned the case to the general court after revoking the death sentence. Its observations necessitated a review of the lower court’s verdict.
While awarding the death sentence, the general court had said that the defendant's speeding car ran a red light and hit the victim’s car which was parked on a side street.
While quashing the death sentence, the appeals court drew attention to the argument made by the defense lawyer who said the accident happened because a traffic police patrol team was chasing his client. Traffic police officials denied the allegation.
The appeals court directed the lower court to cross-examine traffic officials to verify the defendant’s claim.
The accident occurred when the speeding car ran a red signal on Palestine Road and hit Muhammad Bahaddad's stationary car on a nearby street. Bahaddad died instantly and his car was badly damaged.
Khaled Bahaddad, Muhammad's father, urged the authorities to send the defendant to jail until a final verdict was issued in the case. He said he hoped justice would prevail and the man who caused his son’s death would get the maximum punishment.
Bahaddad voiced his displeasure over the delay in court procedures. “The general court had to postpone the case three times because the accused, who was released on bail, failed to appear in court. I hope the court will not absolve the accused while reviewing its earlier verdict,” Bahaddad said. He recalled that the prosecution successfully proved the accident was caused due to reckless driving under the influence of alcohol.
An average of 17 Saudi Arabian residents die on the country’s roads each day, a report by the Kingdom’s Directorate of Traffic has revealed. The World Health Organization found Saudi Arabia to have the world’s highest number of deaths from road accidents, which now make up the country’s principal cause of death in adult males aged 16 to 36.
