JEDDAH — The parents of the victims in the infamous Corniche harassment case are facing possible charges of negligence and a lack of cooperation with the authorities, according to a source inside the Bureau of Investigations and Public Prosecution (BIP). The BIP source said the suspects charged with harassment would continue to be detained until the two victims and their parents contact the bureau, Al-Watan daily reported. The suspects claimed that the two girls they were accused of harassing were actually the ones who started the harassment, the source said. “They said the girls were on a motorcycle and had been taunting them verbally several times, which pushed them to act impulsively.” The bureau is also accusing the parents of negligence for letting their daughters act in such a way, according to the source. “The entire case started with a video documenting the harassment the girls faced,” he said. “The bureau analyzed the video for weeks until it identified seven suspects. The suspects were arrested but only five were later indicted for harassment.” Two other suspects were released after investigations revealed they were only present near the scene and did not participate in the harassment. “The suspects were released with a warning,” the source said. “Since the beginning of the investigation, the bureau has been trying to identify and contact the girls, but to no avail. The bureau believes the parents of the victims should be held responsible for the incident.” There have been a total of 108 lawsuits so far this year filed by legal authorities against parents and guardians for their negligence, according to the BIP source. “Makkah had a total of 26 cases, Buraidah 22 cases, Riyadh 21 cases, Taif had nine and Al-Khobar six,” he said. “There were cases recorded in Madinah, Mahayil Asir, Abha, Onaizah and Al-Ahsa as well.”
