DAMMAM — After more than 18 sessions at a Dammam court, the case of Mishary Al-Bushal is back to square one as the presiding judge decided to postpone the trial pending a forensics report on the cause of the child's death. Previous medical reports had caused several delays to the trial, as some were not received or authenticated by the hospital. The next session is set for Tuesday, Dec. 11. Ahmad Al-Bushal, the father of the child who died three years ago from rat poison at the hands of a domestic worker, said the court asked the Bureau of Investigations and Public Prosecution for a forensics report detailing the cause of death, and asked King Abdulaziz Hospital in Dhahran for a report on the child's medical condition since his birth until death. Al-Bushal called for the speedy submission of these reports as the delays had been causing him and his family great anguish. He said he was only asking for a ruling based on the Shariah. “I feel optimistic before every session, but once again there has been a postponement,” he added. The last trial was postponed because the mandate for the judge trying the case had expired, and he was transferred to Riyadh. The housemaid, who allegedly fed rat poison to Mishary, faces murder charge over the child's death. Mishary's mother had left the child, who was four months old at the time, in the maid's care. The child died one and a half months later after all attempts to save him failed. The death was caused by an increase in liver enzymes, severe diarrhea and heart problems. The maid confessed to the charge, then retracted the confession and finally confessed again. — SG
