A General Court in Saudi Arabia’s capital has sentenced a young man to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and a lifetime driving ban for a series of car drifting offenses.

The 23-year-old man, known by friends as ‘The King of Nazeem Neighborhood,” appeared on YouTube videos drifting with his car and sometimes driving into oncoming traffic.

In one of the videos, he and two of his friends were holding machine guns and shooting in the air in broad daylight. He also caused the death of one of the young men riding with him while he was drifting.

Many residents in Riyadh expressed concern and fear about the man’s reckless behavior and disregard for public safety. The three-judge panel did not uphold the demand of the prosecutor-general to sentence the man to death, striking down his motion with a two to one majority.

The prosecutor-general objected to the court’s verdict and demanded the case be reviewed, insisting the defendant should be executed because of his actions that had killed a man.

Riyadh Police’s undercover officers arrested the man in November 2012 while he was hiding inside a house on the outskirts of the capital.

Inside, they confiscated 21 tires and different tools as well as license plates he used to divert police attention.

They also found false identification cards and other documents.

This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on March 11, 2014.



Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 13:52 - GMT 10:52