Egypt’s judiciary has put an end to one of the most heinous crimes to have rocked Egyptian cities in recent years, after a criminal court, which received a legal opinion from the Mufti of the Republic of Egypt, sentenced the main suspect to death by hanging in a case of child murder and mutilation known in the media as the “Dark Web” case.
The verdict came after months of investigation and a trial that brought to a close a shocking criminal case that revealed horrifying details of a full-scale murderous transaction involving young people and minor children for financial gain in a manner described by prosecutors as “brutal and ruthless.”
The investigation revealed that the first defendant, a 29-year-old cafe worker, had agreed with the second defendant, a student under the age of 15, to kill the child victim in exchange for £5 million, and that the crime was pre-planned and surprisingly calm.
The investigation revealed that the second suspect acted as the instigator and planner, providing all the necessary information to his partner, including the names of the drugs used to anesthetize the victim, before committing the crime.
On the day of the incident, the main suspect lured the boy to his home, forced him to drink drug-laced drinks until he lost consciousness, then suffocated him with a leather belt and crouched over his body until he took his last breath.
The crime was not just a murder, but an investigation revealed that the perpetrator had mutilated the body in shocking scenes, pushing the case to the forefront of media attention and linking it to criminal activity believed to be related to the so-called “dark web”.
The court sentenced the first defendant to death by hanging, but sentenced the second defendant to 15 years’ aggravated imprisonment, the maximum penalty allowed under the Children’s Law, given his age at the time of the crime.
The verdict sparked widespread interaction on social media, with many expressing satisfaction, believing the death sentence was “just retribution” for the blood of an innocent child.
However, in light of the recent escalation in violent crimes involving children, the case has reignited controversy over children’s laws, with the victim’s family and many concerned parties calling for a reconsideration of the penalties imposed on minors involved in full-scale murder.
The verdict ends one of Egypt’s most horrifying criminal cases, but questions remain about how minors become involved in such crimes and the role of dark cyberspace in facilitating this type of organized violence.
