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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Court of Appeals listened on Sunday to the closing defense arguments of the lawyer representing the convicted killer of 8-year-old Obaida, following which it announced a ruling would come out on January 22.

The defense advocate Ali Musabeh pleaded for the court to exert leniency towards the Jordanian Nidal Eissa Abdullah, 48, sentenced to death for killing Obaida (also from Jordan), saying he visited him 4 times in prison and saw how regretful he was and trying to ready himself for the court verdict.

During his visitations, the lawyer was told by his client that he had been mistreated by his father and step-mother and that he became alcoholic over the years. Musabeh learned from his client that he showed remorse for what he did and was willing to accept any verdict against him.

Musabeh argued in court the committee of psychiatrists that mentally evaluated his client showed in their report that he was anti-social. But the report failed to whether his condition was treatable or not.

The report, which was earlier presented to the court, revealed Abdullah, was mentally stable and sane with an anti-social character and suffered from alcohol abuse.

However, even with his alcoholism problem, the convict could be still held responsible for his behavior and actions, according to the report.

Abdullah was sentenced to death in August by the Dubai Court of First Instance which convicted him of sexually assaulting and killing the child.

Abdullah earlier admitted to charges of murder and consuming of alcohol.

He denied, however, charges of sexually assaulting the victim, Obaida, and kidnapping him from outside his parents' house in Sharjah.

The case dates back to May 20 when the child was reported missing from outside his parents' house and his body was found two days later on the side of a road in Al Warqa.

*Khaleej Times