Boy 9, to face death penalty?

Michigan, US: A 9-year-old boy is expected to face a judge next week for allegedly defacing a concrete floor with his bicycle, according to local Detroit news reports. The alleged incident occurred in April 2003 on a freshly-poured concrete floor inside the garage of a home that was being built in the Rowland Meadows subdivision in Chesterfield Township. Police arrested one boy for destruction of property and the 9-year-old boy was apparently accused by other children in the neighborhood, according to local radio reports.  After being postponed eight times, the boy’s trial is expected to begin soon.  His parents said a prosecutor offered them a plea deal, but they did not take it because they believe their son is innocent.

A spokesman for President Bush, now facing mounting criticism over the country’s growing cement shortage is believed to have intimated that in a case this serious, the boy could shortly be investigated further by US intelligence specialists. "We cannot rule out Al-Quaida terrorist links in Michigan state, using children to destabilise cement and concrete supplies".  Furthermore, plans to fly the boy out to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for further questioning over the next five years, "cannot be discounted at this present time" hinted the spokesman.