Emirati parents want son who buried his 8-year-old daughter after torture executed

Dubai - The family of a man who allegedly tortured and killed his eight-year-old daughter before dumping her body in the desert has called for his execution.

The parents and siblings of Hamad, 27, a jobless Emirati and the prime suspect in the death of his daughter Wadeema, said he must face the gallows and are seeking capital punishment.

Dubai Police found Wadeema's remains near Al Fayah, a village off the Hatta-Oman road earlier this week following a complaint filed by Mohammad, 29, the suspect's eldest brother.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited Latifa Hospital on Tuesday to meet Wadeema's younger sister Meera, seven, who was also allegedly tortured but survived.

Hamad, a former government employee who lost his job due to an unspecified offence, is the third in a brood of seven, whose parents said they want to see him face capital punishment.

"This is not a simple matter. The family has made a decision. I want him [Hamad] executed," the Gulf News quoted Hamad's father Saud, 52, a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee, as saying.

On the night of May 30, Mohammad went to Hamad's flat at the International City upon the insistence of Aida to check the girls. At that time, Hamad was already detained by Fujairah police for another offence.
 
Mohammad heard Meera inside crying for help, who was alone in the locked flat.
 
Disturbed by the hysterical crying of his niece, Mohammad desperately tried all the keys he had with him to open the main door. Luckily, one key worked, after which he was shocked to see Meera with wounds all over her body.
 
"It was the first time I talked to Meera in many months," said Mohammad who decided to take his niece to Abu Dhabi where he lives.

"During the drive, Meera told me that Wadeema was wrapped by her father after she lost consciousness, taken out of the house and never came back," he added.

Shocked by her revelation, he turned his car back, drove to Rashidiya Police station and lodged a complaint.

Aida, the victim's paternal grandmother, described Wadeema as "mild tempered".

"They preferred to keep to themselves. Wadeema and Meera did not like to play around. They preferred to do house work, they cooked and cleaned at a tender age. We seek the maximum punishment for this crime," she said.