An Egyptian criminal court referred to the Grand Mufti on Tuesday a death sentence issued against a man convicted of raping a 20-month-old child in the Nile Delta governorate of Daqahliya last month.

The court is expected to confirm the sentence on 2 June after the Grand Mufti gives his opinion, which is not legally binding, on the validity of the death sentence according to Islamic law.

The Egyptian prosecution referred the 35-year-old defendant to trial last month after he confessed to the crime following his arrest, according to prosecutors.

The sentence must be ratified by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi before it can be carried out. 

The convict, who was the victim's neighbour, kidnapped the child as she was playing in front of her house in Belqas village, taking her to a secluded area and raping her, according to investigations conducted by the prosecution.

The child was later found by residents and taken to Belqas Central Hospital, where she received emergency surgery for vaginal bleeding.

Shortly after the incident, which sparked outrage across the country, residents of the village reportedly attempted to burn down the house of the suspect, who lives alone.