Police lose gang violence evidence video, all accused released

Four individuals accused of attacking a man with an axe in a Malé café six years ago have all been acquitted after the Maldives Police Service lost a critical piece of evidence which is the video footage of the attack.

The attack, which took place in September 2017, resulted in the victim sustaining injuries to his head and back.

Two of the individuals involved in the attack were charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in a manner that may cause severe injury, while the third person was charged as an accomplice to the act. The fourth person was charged with attempted assault.

Out of the four, three are also charged with carrying a sharp object in a public place without a justifiable reason.

In the verdict issued by the Criminal Court on Thursday, it states that the most important piece of evidence in the case was the video footage from the police cameras in the area.

The footage reportedly showed people gathering in the area and perpetrators fleeing the scene with the weapon after the attack. However, according to a police investigation report cited in the verdict, an issue within the police service resulted in the loss of the video footage.

The verdict also said that police had not done video comparisons of the persons suspected in the case, claiming that making backups of the footage would be costly. Additionally, despite multiple opportunities, the state's secret witnesses were not presented in court to testify, resulting in their statements being missing from the case.

As a result, all four individuals accused in the case have been acquitted, according to the verdict.