5 serving life in jail seek early release

Petitioners, who killed guard and stole cables, obtain waiver from victim’s family

Five prisoners, who were jailed for life for killing a company guard in 2006 and stealing electric cables worth Dh3,000, appeared in court yesterday seeking an early release.

In January 2006, the five Indian convicts, armed with iron scissors, broke into the company’s warehouse in Jebel Ali, killed the Nepalese victim, D.R., and stole the cables.

Five other defendants, an Indian and four Pakistanis, were said to have aided and abetted the killers.

In June 2007, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the 10 defendants to 10 years in jail each followed by deportation.

In December 2007, the Dubai Appeal Court stiffened the punishment of the five murderers to life sentence.

The 10-year imprisonment against the remaining defendants [collaborators] was upheld.

The five killers are identified as S.T., S.M., H.C., N.V. and L.K. Yesterday, the five lodged a special petition before the Dubai Court of First Instance’s presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat seeking an early release after having obtained a waiver from blood parents.

“Sir, we have been in prison since 2006. We are seeking an early release after having spent nine years behind bars,” S.T. said in court.

“Have the blood parents pardoned you and provided you a written waiver?” presiding judge Abdul Lat asked the petitioners.

“Yes, Sir … they have pardoned us and we have provided the court with a copy of the written waiver,” S.T. said.

The five men maintained in their written petitions that they have spent nine years in jail out of their life imprisonment, during which they have maintained good conduct inside Dubai Central Jail.

According to records, the five collaborators [who were jailed for 10 years each] were deported after they completed their punishments.

The petitioners lodged their special pleas before Dubai Public Prosecution that referred their case to the Court of First Instance.

“The court will look into your petition and hand out a decision on May 28,” presiding judge Abdul Lat said.

In his statement to the public prosecution, the victim’s brother, N.R., said, “My brother didn’t come around sunrise and prepare his breakfast as usual. I got worried and went to the site and saw a body lying face down. I realised that it was my brother’s body from his wristwatch which had fallen two metres away from his body.”

D.R.’s