The Criminal Court, headed by Counselor Ahmed Al-Saddi, recently confronted a 43-year-old man who has been charged with drug abuse.
The defendant while admitting to consuming drugs pleaded with the court to pardon him, saying: “Since I was 16 years old and I have spent my life behind bars and I confess that I do heroin and I ask God and then you to forgive me,” reports Al-Rai daily.
When the court said, “You are accused of using heroin.” The accused replied in the affirmative.
The court: “You are accused of using psychotropic substances.” The accused said: “Yes.”
The court: “You are accused of stealing a vehicle and you were in an abnormal condition.”
The accused: “Yes, the vehicle was stolen but I thought it was my vehicle.”
The court: “You caused an accident while driving the stolen vehicle at a speed higher than the specified speed.”
The accused: “Yes,” and here the accused began to cry hysterically and said: “Your Honor, I confess to everything, and I ask God and then you to pardon me. Since I was 16 years old I have been in prison, my whole life has been in prison, and my first case was a theft for which I was imprisoned when I was 16, and after that I was imprisoned for a second theft case, and after that I started using drugs and I swear to God I repent, but there is no one to hear me.”
The court: Why did you not try to get treatment?
The accused: “I am the eldest among my siblings and no one helped me and I repent and I ask that you help me, Your Honor.”
He went on to say, “I spent my life in prison since I was 16 and now I am 43, I repent and I want to live the rest of my days with my family.”
The court: “Do you have a lawyer?” The accused: “No.”
The court then decided to appoint a lawyer for the accused and review the case file.