3 students jailed for hiding friend’s body

dubai — Three Emirati students have all had their acquittal verdict overturned on appeal in a case of hiding the body of a heroin overdose victim.

The Court of Appeal reversed the primary ruling and sentenced them again to three months in jail.

The public prosecution records show the three accused — aged 19, 19 and 18 — drove the Emirati victim’s car with his body inside and left it at a remote area in Lahbab on August 31, 2017.

The three men were all found not guilty by the Court of First Instance on March 19 of hiding the body. One of them, who was charged with using drugs, was then referred to the Court of Misdemeanours while the court cleared the 18-year-old accused of the charge of injecting the victim with heroin.

The public prosecution appealed the ruling and the trio has been ordered to be jailed by the appellate court, receiving a three-month jail term.

A police lieutenant told the prosecutor after the victim was reported missing by his family, the police began investigating. “We contacted two of the defendants who were his close friends but they denied knowing his whereabouts. However, one of them called later to say he was aware of what happened to his friend and how he died.”

The lieutenant said: “The 19-year-old accused said he got a call from the 18-year-old accomplice at around 10pm telling him about their friend’s death.

“He went to Al Warqa and found the victim dead in his car. He learned he died of drug overdose. They decided to drive the body to Lahbab area.”

The 18-year-old defendant cleaned the victim’s car of the drug syringes and took his mobile phone and disposed of it.

However, that accused claimed to interrogators the victim was already unwell when he met him around noon on the fateful day. He denied having helped him use drugs or given him any shots.

The defendants can challenge the new ruling within 30 days at the Court of Cassation.