Worker sentenced to 7 years in murder case

DUBAI: The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced an Asian worker to five years in jail to be followed by deportation for killing his colleague with a knife while he was in his room in a labour accommodation following an argument between them that snowballed into a fist attack. The Court of Appeal, however, increased the sentence to seven years and upheld the subsequent deportation.

The case dated back to July 2021 when the Dubai Police’s operations room received a report that a worker was assaulted in his room with a knife. A policeman stated that he went to the scene of the incident where he found the victim lying in the middle of the room and covered in blood with a knife and a number of workers near him.

The policeman added that a paramedic examined the victim and found him dead and his body was transferred to the competent authorities. While interrogating the people who were present in the scene, the convict stated that it was he who murdered the man with a knife that was found near the victim.

The convict stated that the victim was his friend and relative and that an altercation occurred between them earlier after the victim had insulted and attempted to assault him inside his room in the labour accommodation. He added that he did not intend to kill his friend and relative and that what he did was a reaction to the assault by the victim who was under the influence of alcohol.

A witness stated that the victim called the convict before the incident and insulted him and consequently the victim decided to confront the convict but an altercation followed, as a result of which the convict drew a knife that was inside the room and stabbed the victim in the chest. He then tried to help him and stop the bleeding but the victim soon passed away.

The public prosecution charged the convict with premeditated murder but the Court of First Instance amended the charge to assault that led to death and sentenced him to five years.