MADINA: The District Court in Madina has sentenced a young man, said by his lawyer to be a “psychiatric patient”, to one year in jail and 400 lashes of the whip for stealing a car, according to authorities. Police arrested the young man last week and referred him to the District Court, officials said. Muhammad Al-Tayyib Al-Shareef, a lawyer, said the young man has serious mental health problems. “His father has authorized me to represent him, run his affairs and protect his wealth because he owns a building I administer on his behalf because he suffers from a severe psychiatric disease and cannot control his actions,” Al-Shareef said. The young man had left his home and was wandering around in the streets when the incident took place, Al-Shareef said. “My client was absent from his home for about a week due to his disorder,” he said. “While he was roaming the streets, he tried to operate his neighbor's old car with his house keys. He succeeded in getting it started and drove it around in the district. When the neighbor discovered that his car had disappeared, he reported the matter to the security patrols. The young man was stopped in one of the streets in the district and was handed over to Al-Aqeeq Police Station.” Security officials found medicine issued to him by the Mental Health Hospital, but his file, which shows that he has been treated for about 10 years, was not retrieved, Al-Shareef said. When the young man was referred to the District Court, the judge issued his verdict after the first session, Al-Shareef said, which led him to visit the judge and explain his client's mental condition. He added that his client does not need money because he owns a building and gets SR500 in monthly pocket money, but the young man's family refused to buy him a car for safety reasons. Al-Shareef added that the young man's neighbor immediately dropped his private right, but the court verdict was based on the public right. The lawyer added that he will present all documents related to the case and pursue a waiver.
