Abu Dhabi boy rape-murder case: Court to hear appeal on March 7

The 33-year-old man was sentenced to death last November after he was found guilty of rape and murder.

The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal will reconvene for the second time to consider the appeal of the death penalty verdict issued last year to a 33-year-old Pakistani man. 
The 33-year-old man was sentenced to death last November after he was found guilty of rape and murder. A defence lawyer will be appointed for his case which will be heard on March 7.
The child's parents attended the hearing which lasted all of two minutes, reported Al Ittihad.
A defence lawyer was not present at the first hearing and the state had not appointed one for the suspect.
The law requires that all capital offenders be represented by a lawyer for a fair hearing.   
The murder happened last Ramadan when the body of the 11-year-old Pakistani child was found on the terrace of the building where he lived with his father and stepmother.
The child had gone out to a nearby mosque to pray when he went missing and was found the next morning on the rooftop with signs of strangulation and abuse on his body.
The Juvenile and Family Prosecution division at Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution launched an investigation to ascertain the identity of the attacker.
A photographic examination was conducted at the scene of the crime.
The suspect was confronted with the evidence that had been gathered, including the forensic report confirming the appearance of bruises and injuries on the child's body.  
The Abu Dhabi Court of First Instance had issued a death sentence to the 33-year-old Pakistani man for the rape and premeditated murder of the child.
He was also charged with paying Dh200,000 in blood money to the heirs, crossdressing, and violating a traffic law.

• Abu Dhabi