Prosecution: Witness testified to seeing Fareed stab Shuhad

State prosecution said during appeal hearing for Hassan Fareed (Karankaage, Gn Fuvahmulah) – sentenced to death for murder of Abdulla Shuhad (Aasmaange, Gn. Fuvahmulah) – that witnesses testified to seeing Fareed stab Shuhad, despite claims to the otherwise made by Fareed’s attorney.

Speaking during appeal hearing held at High Court on Sunday, state attorney said that claims made by Fareed’s attorney that state witnesses had not said they specifically saw Fareed stabbing Shuhad during Criminal Court trial was false.

She said that three state witnesses testified they saw Fareed stab Shuhad.

She also addressed claim made by the defense that Fareed had not been allowed an attorney to represent him during the Criminal Court trial, saying that Fareed had refused legal representation either at state cost or with his own money, when asked.

It was a claim that was also addressed by Judge Ali Sameer during an earlier hearing.

Judge Sameer said that the claim was not valid as the court case report makes mention of Fareed rejecting legal representation when the opportunity was provided to him.

Fareed’s attorney said that state witnesses had not spoken much at the trial, answering only in yes-or-no.

The state prosecutor said that the witnesses had made yes-or-no replies only to questions that required such an answer – and that witnesses had said “yes” when asked if they knew the defendant, and “yes” again when asked if they saw Fareed stab Shuhad.

Criminal Court ruled that witness testimony proved Fareed, along with some other individuals went to where Shuhad was sitting with some other people – the outer wall of an abandoned house located Dhoondigan – in Bodufannu Magu and Bahaaru Mage crossroad – and stabbed Shuhad in his right ribcage with a knife on January 27, 2010 at around 9:30 pm.

He was sentenced to death by Criminal Court on May 13, 2015.

He appealed the death sentence in June, 2015.

Shuhad succumbed to his injuries and died on January 28, 2010, while receiving treatment at hospital.