JEDDAH — A Jeddah court has sentenced a young man to five years in prison and 3,000 lashes after he admitted to hitting his mother and locking his father inside a room. He also kicked his mother out of the house and threatened to beat his sisters. The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution investigated the case and charged the young man with ingratitude. In addition, he was charged with consuming alcohol, threatening his father with a knife and indecency toward his sisters. The prosecutor has called for the harshest punishment for the man, as his actions were punishable by Islamic law. The young man admitted to all the charges against him. The young man's sister told the court that he had previously served a one-year sentence for using drugs but apparently that had not deterred him. She said her family became concerned for their safety and asked that he be treated for his addiction before he is released from prison. Okaz/Saudi Gazette learned that ingratitude cases in Jeddah increased by 15 to 30 percent and Jeddah courts issued 343 sentences in such cases. The BIP investigated more than 1,500 ingratitude cases last year and Saudi courts have dealt with 1,073 such cases. Jeddah witnessed the highest number of cases with 280, followed by Riyadh with 233 and Makkah with 117. Lawyer and legal consultant Khalid Al-Seraihi said ingratitude to one or both parents is a criminal offense according to Saudi law and is punishable by imprisonment. Shareefah Al-Ghamdi, a psychiatric consultant, said ingratitude could be the result of many religious, social, psychological, or behavioral factors. She added that drugs are a major cause of such behavior.
