Saudi may have hand severed for stealing sheep

A Saudi court ordered the amputation of the hand of an 18-year-old local man found guilty of stealing a sheep, triggering an impassionate appeal by his mother to reverse the verdict, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The court in the southwestern town Turba handed down the sentence in line with Sharia (Islamic law) enforced in the conservative Gulf Kingdom but legal experts believe he can appeal the sentence, Sabq Arabic language daily said.

His mother said her son Khalid confessed to his crime but added that the sheep owner had dropped the case after the sheep was returned to her.

“I appeal for pardoning my son or giving him an alternative punishment now that the sheep has been returned and the owner dropped the case…my son has been in jail for nearly seven months and my heart is breaking for him, “ she said.

Sabq quoted legal adviser Khalid Abu Rashid as saying the defendant can appeal the sentence under Saudi Arabia’s judicial law.

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