A criminal court yesterday convicted a young Asian of killing an elderly Qatari woman in her home some months ago and sentenced him to death by a firing squad.

The convict had confessed in the court that he had killed the woman in the garden of her home in revenge for humiliating him.

The convict was working with the victim’s brother and used to visit his sister’s home occasionally to help her with her gardening.

Some months ago, in summer, he said she insulted him so he was waiting for an opportunity to sneak into her home and seek revenge.

On the eve of the incident, the convict jumped the boundary wall of the victim’s home after late evening (isha) prayers and lurked in the shadows until the wee hours of the morning.

The woman came out very early in the morning as usual to open the tap outside to water her garden. At that moment, according to local Arabic daily Al Arab, the convict attacked her.

He said he hit her on the head and when she fell down he used an undershirt to strangulate her. The woman used her fingernails in self-defence.

DNA tests confirmed the blood in the victim’s fingernails was that of the convict.

He had scratches on his face caused by fingernails, earlier media reports suggested.

The criminal court’s decision will most likely go in appeal. Criminal courts in Qatar have been handing out death penalty but the last death sentence was carried out more than 11 years ago, in March 2003, by a firing squad.

Both the convict and the victim were Indians. Arun Abraham had killed lija Abraham, a family friend, on April 26, 2001 in Al Mansoura and tried to burn her body to remove evidence. He was tried by the Shariah Court and faced the death squad in March 2003 for the crime.

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QNE

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