Self-confessed killer Adhuham to be sentenced on February 18

Adhuham Mohamed, who has confessed to killing taxi driver Qasim Hassan in a knife attack in suburban Hulhumale’, is scheduled to be delivered his sentence on February 18.

Qasim, 59, was found stabbed to death in an isolated street in Hulhumale’ on December 4. Adhuham, 21, was arrested two weeks later, on December 19, and confessed to the killing when interrogated by the police.

Adhuham, who has been charged with willful killing using a sharp-edged weapon, entered a plea of guilty at the Criminal Court hearing this Wednesday.

He faces a death sentence if his victim’s heirs wish for the punishment of Qisas to be applied, but a lesser 17-year and six-month prison sentence - as had been part of the plea deal between him and the Prosecutor General’s Office - if they do not.

After the State prosecutor read the charge against him, Adhuham said the charge had been consistent with how he committed the murder, and provided additional confirmation, saying that he did not object to any part of the charge, when pressed by Judge Ibrahim Rasheed for further confirmation.

The judge, in light of Adhuham’s guilty plea, has scheduled Adhuham’s sentencing hearing for Tuesday, February 18.

Adhuham’s guilty plea follows earlier confessions to investigators and again at his remand hearing at Criminal Court when he said that he had originally only intended to rob Qasim by threatening him with a knife, but that he struck him with the knife when he began to struggle and scream.

He said that he had been on drugs when he committed the murder, and later cried and repented once he came out of his drug induced state. He has also apologized to Qasim’s family for the murder.

Adhuham told investigators that he had targeted Qasim to rob him in order to collect money to pay the rent for his apartment in Male’. He said he had been living in rented apartments in Male’ since his release from prison for a previous conviction, and had depended on donations from his friends and money collection by selling stolen mobile phones and other items to pay his rent.