12-year-old sentenced to 50 years for murder

Abbas confessed to killing two women because one ‘insulted’ his family.

SAHIWAL:

Additional District and Session judge Sahiwal Jamil Ahmed Chaudhry, sentenced a 12-year-old convict to 50-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a Rs200,000 fine on Tuesday.

The accused, Tahir Abbas, worked at a tea stall and was charged with the murder of two women in a dispute involving him and their children. On February 10, 2010, Abbas shot his neighbour Kausar Bibi and her guest Rani with his father’s gun. The boy confessed to the crime in police custody and said that he had killed the women after they ‘insulted’ him. Abbas said that he had quarreled with Kausar’s 10-year-old son over a game of ‘gulli danda’. Police officials said that an inquiry had revealed that the boys had a fight and when the women got involved to break up the quarrel they insulted Abbas and his family.

Judge Ahmed said that in case of non-payment of the fine the accused would have to undergo further imprisonment of one-year.

The amount of the fine is to be paid to the heirs of the murdered women.

Police officer Noor Shah, filed the initial report on Kausar Bibi’s husband’s request and registered a case against Tahir Abbas, his mother Haleema, sister Lado and father Muhammad Yaseen.

Shah was a witness during the hearing and based on his testimony the court released the remaining accused Haleema, Lado and Muhammad Yaseen on benefit of doubt.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2011.