Fed: Three walk out of court in Saudi diplomat case
By Max Blenkin
CANBERRA, Dec 19 AAP - A woman and two men who admitted bursting into the apartmentof a Saudi Arabian diplomat, later found stabbed to death in a pool of blood, today walkedfree from the ACT Supreme Court.
Justice Terence Higgins said he had to put out of his mind the awful consequences ofwhat occurred after the three entered the home of Abdullah Al-Ghamdi in October 1998.
They were initially charged with murder but acquitted after a controversial three weektrial in 2000.
Today, Riza Yilmaz, 31, and Mutlu Yildiz, 28, appeared in court for sentencing afterpleading guilty to trespassing with intent to inflict actual bodily harm.
Riza Yilmaz's wife, Melissa, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit actual bodily harm.
Justice Higgins sentenced Riza Yilmaz to two years jail, Yildiz to 18 months and MelissaYilmaz to six months.
All sentences were backdated to account for time spent in custody with the rest ofthe term suspended. All three were directed to be released forthwith.
Justice Higgins also ordered that they enter good behaviour bonds.
The court heard Melissa Yilmaz (then Moussa) had a brief sexual relationship with MrAl-Ghamdi, the first secretary at the Saudi-Arabian embassy in Canberra, but called itoff.
She complained to Riza Yilmaz, with whom she subsequently developed a relationship,that he was continuing to harass her and threaten her family.
She, Yilmaz, Yildiz and another man all arranged to drive from Sydney to visit Mr Al-Ghamdiat his Canberra apartment.
It was envisaged that he would be given a beating as a warning to leave her alone.
Mr Al-Ghamdi's body was found the next day with 36 knife wounds.
At the trial, Riza Yilmaz testified to remembering nothing from soon after enteringto leaving the unit. Psychiatric evidence indicated he was acting in a state of automatism,prompted by traumatic events from his earlier life in Turkey.
In court today, defence lawyers stressed that they were only being sentenced for eventsleading to the entry to Mr Al-Ghamdi's apartment.
Riza Yilmaz' counsel John Purnell said what happened afterwards was irrelevant to today'sproceedings.
He said Yilmaz was desperately in love with Melissa and believed she had been threatenedby Mr Al-Ghamdi.
"In Riza's mind, he was faced with an evil and abusive man who could not be stoppedby police and who was above the law," he said.
Justice Higgins said the provocation by Mr Al-Ghamdi was fairly extreme but that didnot justify or excuse what happened.
"It is a serious matter and it needs to be condemned," he said.
AAP mb/kjp/sek/de
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