Jilted lover, who set his former girlfriend on fire, gets life term

dubai — A man, who set his exgirlfriend on fire at her workplace, was sentenced to life in jail on Sunday. The court also ordered his deportation after completing the jail term.

The 30-year-old Kenyan suspect had hit the victim with a baseball bat, slit her throat, before setting her on fire, according to court records.

The Court of First Instance earlier heard the Kenyan shipping supervisor planned the attack in advance after the victim broke up with him in spite of all the help and money he had spent on her. The suspect admitted a premeditated murder charge in the court.

The case dates back to March 1, 2016. The accused went to the victim’s office carrying a fuel-soaked piece of cloth with which he set a carpet there on fire before chasing the victim around. He also caused thick fume and explosion to terrify

She ignored his desperate threats of killing her. He became angry because he borrowed lots of money to please her.” Police officer

the staff before chasing the victim who tried helplessly to get out of his way. He struck her head more than once with the baseball bat and then slit her throat with the knife.

A police officer said: “The defendant told us the victim had been with his girlfriend for seven years and he brought her here in 2014. He got her a job and let her live with him.

However, about three or four months before the incident, she suddenly broke up with him and would always avoid his attempts to get back together. She ignored his desperate threats of killing her. He became angry because he borrowed lots of money to please her. On the incident day, he went to her workplace carrying a baseball bat, gas canister, fuel and a knife.”

The victim’s close friend, a 28-year-old Kenyan, said the defendant had been stalking and harassing her countrywoman during the few months leading to the fatal attack. “She moved out to live with me in the International City in October 2015. A colleague opened the company’s door without looking first.”

Police officers said they tracked the defendant’s whereabouts through one of their sources at his friend’s flat in Sharjah.

A forensic report showed the victim died because of deep stab wounds in the neck and chest. Her body bore skull fractures and serious injuries in her hands showed she tried to protect herself.

A CCTV footage showed the accused entering the building around 5.8pm and exiting at 5.39pm without the backpack or the bag he carried earlier.

mary@khaleejtimes.com