The trial of a Kenyan security guard accused of murdering an American teacher resumed yesterday with testimony from several investigators who inspected the woman’s Al Sadd apartment block following her death.
Sunday’s hearing marks the first time in months that the court has heard new evidence as the trial – which has been repeatedly held up due to witnesses failing to appear and scheduling confusion, among other delays – approaches the start of its third year.
However, the trial’s progress suffered another setback Sunday as a psychiatrist who examined the defendant once again failed to appear, prompting the judge to request that police locate the doctor and compel her to attend the next hearing later this month.
Jennifer Brown was killed in her home in November 2012, two months after moving to Qatar. Originally from Pennsylvania, the 40-year-old moved to the Middle East to work at the English Modern School in Al Wakrah.
Several days after Brown died, police arrested a security guard who worked at her accommodation. School officials previously told Doha News that the man confessed to the crime to police, a claim corroborated by an investigator in court yesterday.
Under questioning by a judge, an investigator said the defendant told him that he raped and then stabbed Brown with the intent of killing her.
He also said a ring, with a distinctive red stone, was found at the crime scene. He added that several teachers who also lived in the building told him that they had previously seen the security guard wearing it.
Murder weapon
Separately, four other investigators told the court that the security guard directed them to where he had hidden the murder weapon.
They said the defendant initially denied knowing where the knife was located, but he eventually confessed that he had wrapped the weapon in newspapers and hidden it behind several pieces of wood atop the roof of Brown’s building.
Later in the hearing, the court heard from a forensic examiner who conducted an autopsy of Brown’s body.
She testified that her investigation found that the teacher died from a loss of blood resulting from the stab wounds. She also found extensive bruising around her neck, leg, head and lip that suggested Brown had been involved in a violent struggle. The doctor said there was also evidence she had been sexually assaulted.
Unanswered questions
When reached by phone yesterday at his home in the US, Brown’s father, Robert, said it was “disheartening” that the trial was continuing to drag on with no end in sight.
He said he wanted to know why the defendant killed his daughter.
“This is the question that is always on my mind, every minute of the day,” he told Doha News.
A defense lawyer, who has since resigned, requested a psychiatric examination of his client last year. The results of that evaluation have not been disclosed in court, but appear to have been shared with the judge and attorneys involved in the case.
The defendant’s current lawyer has said the report contains discrepancies and material that requires clarification, and has requested that the psychiatrist who authored it appear in court as a witness.
The doctor has failed to appear in court despite being summoned more than a half-dozen times. In November, a judge ordered that a travel ban be placed on the psychiatrist as well as the five criminal investigators who appeared in court Sunday.
After the doctor once again failed to appear, the judge yesterday referred the matter to police. A legal source told Doha News that they will likely track the woman down and force her to sign a written promise to present herself at a police station the morning of the next hearing. Officers will then escort her to court.
The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 30.
Thoughts?
I am at a loss for how witnesses can continue to fail to appear in court, month after month, without consequence. How many chances does a person get before the authorities will enact travel bans or police escorts (or how about jail)? Apparently at least a half a dozen times is nothing to get alarmed about.
In a country that is 80+% expat, this essentially amounts to denying justice and resolution to the majority of the population. When you can’t afford to take even more days off work (than you already have) to attend court in the hopes that a witness will finally appear, then it’s easy to see why so many people drop charges or fail to pursue matters. The Qatari justice system makes it too difficult (because it’s too slow) for people wanting to seek redress, and that’s unfair and unacceptable.
Qatar needs to do better.
“In a country that is 80+% expat, this essentially amounts to denying justice and resolution to the majority of the population”
you do know that expats fail to come to court just like qatari’s do dont you? many qatari’s also have also suffered and have been denied justice for very long time because people just dont show up. i agree that qatar needs to fix this, but i dont see how this is only hurting expats
Fair call. I agree with you 99.9 my only but being the Villagio case. I think that case was different, and I was stunned at the indifference shown by the defendants and the fact they still hold official positions. MA I hope the people with the correct citzenship make their voices heard, this craziness effects all peoples of Qatar.
It shouldnt matter where a witness or a defendant comes from not turning up is contempt of court and for justice to be respected in Qatar if witnesses or defendants don’t come when asked they should be jailed until they are no longer required
Where do your statistics come from regarding expats not turning up in court? Many expats get slung in jail until their case comes up, which usually seems to be a fast-track process.
Countless cases if people not turning up to court because they are accused of not paying rent for months or longer. Personally had a guy stay in our apartment for over a year without paying rent before we managed 2 get him inside a court room. Eventually actually was happy 2 forget a year of rent as long as he just leaves
There’s no such thing as “Contempt of Court” and there’s no such thing as a “Subpoena” here in Qatar. If they did have such things it could get very tricky as “Privileged Nationals” would get “subpoenas” and wouldn’t turn up, then they would be in “contempt of court” and who is actually going to arrest them? That is why any and all witnesses/accused can get away with no turning up… Until the justice system decides to be a fair justice system then this will continue to happen no matter what the crime.
As for “Qatari’s suffering and being denied justice for a very long time” by Mohammed Albanai below, then it’s the very few this happens to for example, the gardener who murdered the old qatari lady has already been charged with murder and sentenced to the death penalty and that case was quick and swift. What about the Qatari guy given the death penalty for the British Teacher.. where is he?? How come he can appeal and appeal and appeal…??? I bet he is out and about until his next trial appearance, if he shows up. He has already shown disregard for the justice system by laughing in the courts when he was sentenced to death.. he knows it’s a joke…
Fairness does not exist and the justice system is biased unfortunately it has many decades to go before it gets close to being any where near a true justice system.
Surely this is a translation issue or just an unfunny joke.
“A legal source told Doha News that they will likely track the woman down and force her to sign a written promise to present herself at a police station the morning of the next hearing”
A promise? Hahahahahahaha
Sadly it’s probably not a joke.
Justice as a joke, as usual.
What a disgrace. The non-appearance of witnesses shows just how little respect there is for the Qatar justice system by those close to it, and I include the Qatari nation in that, whilst the majority of the expat community with nowhere to run live in fear of it. A shocking indictment of a state.