One of the two men who were last week sentenced to three years in prison and 2,000 lashes each for stealing two sheep blamed need and ignorance behind the criminal act Monday. From Bisha General Prison, Abdullah Bin Aatiq Al-Shihri, with tears running down his cheeks, said he regrets both the criminal act and the verdict, from a Bisha court, which he did not expect, describing it as “harsh to the gravity of the crime.” Appealing the verdict, he said “I did not expect that I would be sentenced to two years in prison and 2,000 lashes for the theft of two sheep which I and my friend, now my inmate, sold for SR700 to cater to the urgent needs of my family,” he said. The two men were hoping for a lesser punishment, especially after the sheep owner pardoned them, realizing their young age, ignorance, and difficult financial situation, he said. “But we were shocked at the punishment that far exceeded the gravity of the crime,” he said. He said he was detained in prison for a whole year before the verdict was pronounced. In jail, he was so dejected that he attempted suicide by slashing his left arm's veins. The man's brother, Ali, said he will appeal in accordance with the law as soon as he could afford it. He said his brother did not realize the criminality of his act because of his poor education and young age. “We hear about crimes bigger than my brother's with lighter sentences,” he said. He said he was still looking for someone to lend him the cost of filing an appeal case. Several legal consultants have agreed to file the appeal but “they are asking for an amount of cash beyond my financial means.” The verdict was issued after the court verified that the two defendants were not found involved in any other criminal case. Despite this punishment, the prosecution had demanded amputation of their hands as per Islamic ruling in theft cases. Sheikh Abdulmohsin Al-Obaikan said that the laws and punishments should be codified to deliver justice and reach consensus on cases when investigated by different Shariah courts. He said that codification of corporal punishment in Shariah will be implemented in the new judicial reform in the Kingdom which took off earlier this week.
