Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Sentences don't reflect the crime.

Three court reports on Page 3 of Gulf News today suggest that the laws in the UAE really need an overhaul.

10-year jail term for drug smuggling

Dubai: Three men have been sentenced to ten years behind bars for smuggling, possessing and trafficking about 43 kilograms of hashish.

The Dubai Court of First Instance also fined 29-year-old J.M. and 26-year-old A.A., from Qatar, and their 30-year-old Iranian collaborator, Y.M., Dh50,000 each.


Three-year jail term for policeman who raped maid upheld

Dubai: A court upheld three-year imprisonment for a policeman who sneaked into his housemaid's bedroom and raped her.

The Dubai Court of Appeal found the 40-year-old UAE national, I.R., guilty of raping his Indonesian housemaid, R.N., as charged by the Public Prosecution.


Two jailed for 5 years for kidnapping student, molesting and attempting to rape her

Dubai: Two Pakistani men will each spend five years in jail for kidnapping a university student, molesting and attempting to rape her in their car, ruled a court.

Back in April, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid highlighted the Ministry of Justice as needing an overhaul. I do hope that the overhaul includes looking at the whole area of justice, including the law's views of the comparative seriousness of crimes.

Ten years for dealing in hashish is fair enough.

But against five years for attempted rape it doesn't compute.

Nor do either of those sentences against three years for actual rape.


Gulf news stories are here

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