Toddler sentenced to life in Egypt for killing three people

CAIRO

A view of the High Court of Justice in Cairo, Egypt, January 21, 2016. REUTERS Photo

A 3-year-old Egyptian boy has been sentenced to life in prison for a crime he allegedly committed when he was 16 months old, CNN International reported on Feb. 23. 

In what appears to be a bizarre case of mistaken identity, a military court Feb. 16 found Ahmed Mansour Qorany Sharara - and 115 others - guilty of killing three people and sabotaging public and private property.

The crimes allegedly took place during a January 2014 protest by supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and ensuing clashes in the southern province of Fayyoum, according to a statement by the Egyptian military.

Ahmed was 16 months old when the demonstration took place. He was just a little over 3 years old when the military court sentenced him to life last week.

The boy was also sentenced to an additional three years for related charges by a civilian misdemeanor court.

When the police first came to arrest Ahmed in early 2014 and realized he was a toddler, they took his father Mansour Qorany Sharara instead.

Sharara was detained for four months before a judge released him.

Lawyers of other defendants in the case had shown the court Ahmed’s birth certificate in hopes of discrediting the investigations that led to their clients’ arrests.