Father’s pardon saves son’s killer from gallows

A Saudi court has pardoned a convicted killer after he was forgiven by the victim’s father, a police officer, Alwatan newspaper reported on Saturday.

Colonel Hassan Al Shahri told court in Riyadh that he had forgiven the killer, Mohammed Al Qahtani, who murdered his son nearly three years ago.

“I decided to forgive him without any mediation from any one because I am convinced that God the Almighty will compensate me,” he told the court.

The paper said the court would release Mohammed, who had been in prison since he murdered Colonel Shahri’s son, Waleed, in the southern town of Aseer.

“Shahri and his tribe have just presented all of us with a very good example of forgiveness and faithfulness,” said the killer’s father, Nayer Al Qahtani.