The Criminal Court has allowed the Prosecutor General to appoint a Public Defender for Ali Shahil who is the prime suspect in the brutal murder of Shiayu Mohamed Saeed.
Shiyau was found dead last August in an apartment in Male' and her body was found dismembered and decapitated.
While Shahil was arrested from the scene of the crime, he is the only suspect arrested in this case and has been formally charged with 5 offenses.
However, the Prosecutor General's Office has only revealed three offenses which include murdering with a sharp object, use of cannabis, and possession of pornography.
Speaking to 'The Press' about why the rest of the offenses were kept a secret, Public Prosecutor Ahmed Shafeeu said that they were hidden to guard the interest of the victim's family and that the offenses have information that the family had asked to be kept confidential during the police investigation.
While the murder trial began today, it kicked off behind hidden doors following a request by the State.
At the hearing today, the Court granted the Prosecution the chance to appoint a public defender for the defendant.
Last October, Police said the victim died because of the injuries inflicted on her body and that this was proven by he autopsy. Police added that investigation did not find any other person was involved in the crime and that they had collected enough evidence to get a conviction.
