Daily Northern

Nordic News, Every Day

Menu

Mohamad Kourani handed eight-year prison sentence for assault among other offenses, plans to appeal

Monday 15th 2024 on 22:31 in  
Iceland

Mohamad Kourani was sentenced today to eight years in prison for serious bodily assault and other offenses. At the time he was granted a residence permit in the country, he already had a conviction. His lawyer says they will appeal the case.

Mohamad Kourani, who was sentenced to eight years in prison today for serious bodily assault and other offenses, will appeal his case to the Supreme Court, according to his lawyer. Kourani was unhappy with the verdict.

The indictment against Mohamad consisted of six counts. Two of them were related to a serious bodily assault at the OK Market store in March. Mohamad was charged with punching a man in the face and attacking another man who tried to help the first victim.

The remaining four counts of the indictment were offenses against public authorities. Mohamad was found guilty on all six counts and sentenced to eight years in prison. He was also ordered to pay nearly five million kroner in legal costs and over two million in compensation.

His lawyer, Kristján Flygenring, said he wants to challenge some aspects of the case before the Supreme Court. “My client, he is unhappy with this outcome and we expect to appeal this to the Supreme Court. There are things he wants to challenge there.”

Kourani came to the country at the beginning of 2017 and applied for international protection. In December of the same year, he was sentenced to 30 days in prison for document fraud, but still received international protection in the country five months later, in May 2018.

In June 2022, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for bodily assault, burglary, violation of a restraining order, property damage, five offenses against public authorities, two bomb threats, document forgery, weapons offenses, traffic offenses, and seven offenses against pandemic laws.

Two months later, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison for bodily assault, offenses against public authorities, bomb threats, and traffic offenses, but the crimes for which Mohamad was convicted today took place before that sentence was handed down. He still faces an appeal before the Supreme Court.

The Minister of Justice has proposed a bill that would allow the expulsion of residence permit holders from the country, should they be convicted of serious crimes. However, Kristján does not expect that to happen with Mohamad unless there are legal changes. “As the law stands now, that is not an option. The law is being reviewed now, so we will see. It is impossible for me to predict, as I say it will just have to come to light.”