After investigations into a heinous rape case of a woman raped in front of her children under the threat of a weapon, the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution has transferred the four criminals to Jeddah General Court demanding capital punishment for the rapists. The suspects – two 18-year-old Saudis and a 25-year-old Somali – were found guilty of raping a woman, threatening her with a cleaver, threatening to kill her children and threatening to rape her 6-year-old daughter, officials said. The men videotaped themselves raping her, pulled up her daughter's clothes and threatened to sexually assault her, officials said. The three criminals also robbed the house and ran away. The fourth man, a 25-year-old Yemeni, was found guilty of covering for them, officials added. He faces discretionary punishment. The criminals admitted their crimes and the Jeddah General Court will decide on the case in a few days, officials said. The judge has decided to keep them in prison until the three-member judicial committee decides on the case, officials added. The case unfolded after police received a call for help from the husband, a source told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. “My wife, 37, and her two daughters, 6 and 7, heard a noise outside the apartment,” the woman's husband said. “When my wife opened the door, four dark-skinned people attacked her and forced her to go into a room where she was raped, videotaped, and threatened with a cleaver. “The criminals put the cleaver on my daughter's neck and threatened to kill her if my wife said anything about what had happened. They even pulled up my daughter's clothes and threatened to strip her of her virginity. Gold, mobile phones, the DVD decoder, and four residence permits have been stolen.” A police sketch artist drew the criminals' faces and investigators identified the suspects based on their prior criminal records, authorities said. The men were immediately arrested and the wife identified them in a police lineup, officials said. The three men admitted raping the woman and the fourth said he only helped with the robbery, according to officials. The death penalty is appropriate, according to a legal expert. “This is a heinous crime,” said Dr. Omar Al-Khooli, professor of law at King Abdulaziz University and legal adviser for the National Society for Human Rights. “The perpetrators should receive capital punishment.” __
