A hearing in taxi driver Gasim Hassan’s murder case has been held at the Criminal Court.

The hearing was held over the charges of deliberate murder, raised against Lh. Hinnavaru native, Adham Mohamed in connection to the murder of 59-year-old taxi driver Gasim Hassan.

Sunday’s hearing saw witness testimonies collected from the three witnesses presented by the state.

The first testimony was given by the scene-of-crime officer in connection to the scene-of-crime report. According to the scene-of-crime officer, when they arrived near Hulhumalé No.6 Flat, Adham was also present with the investigative officers.

At the time, a team of the Maldives Police Service (MPS) Serious and Organized Crime Department and Forensics were also present at the scene.

The officer had retrieved the shirt Adham was wearing at the time of the crime, inside a stack of sacks outside the building. The officer revealed that the plaid and long-sleeved shirt had a tear in one of the sleeves. He had also collected the pair of slippers Adham was wearing at the time, as material evidence.

Another scene-of-crime officer also gave his testimony at Sunday’s hearing. The officer is to have collected evidence from the residence of the suspect, after Adham went home and changed his attire right after the attack.

The third witness was the officer who compiled the finger print analysis report in connection to the murder. The officer was summoned to verify if the finger print sample collected from the seat of Gasim’s taxi matched that of Adham’s.

Adham Mohamed, 21, is charged with first-degree murder in the trial, under the Act on Prohibiting ‎Threatening and Possession of Dangerous Weapons and Sharp ‎Objects.

Earlier, Adham pleaded guilty for the murder of the taxi driver and a fast-track hearing was held where the suspect retracted his confession.

However, Adham had detailed his actions and how the murder was carried out, and repeatedly confessed to every detail during the preliminary stage. While he was asked whether there was any coercion by the presiding judge Ismail Rasheed, Adham had stated that he made the confession on his own free will. Following his confession, the initial sentence of 25-years was reduced to a 17-year and six-month prison sentence.

The 21-year-old later claimed that he was not of sound mind when the confessions were made, accusing the police of intoxicating him by providing everything; he noted that he was under police's custody during these hearings.

Adham was arrested on 19 December 2019, after Gasim’s dead body was discovered lying face-down in a puddle of blood on the road in Hulhumalé on 4 December 2019.

Police earlier confirmed that Adham has a long criminal history including theft and cases related to drugs.

Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem had earlier assured that they have enough evidence to convict him even if he retracts his confession, adding that “things will only be worse” for the suspect if he does so.