Man who murdered ex-girlfriend loses appeal against life sentence

A man who killed his former girlfriend by beating her with a baseball bat and stabbing her will see out his life sentence after losing his appeal yesterday.

The Kenyan cargo inspector, 29, also set her workplace on fire. He decided to kill his countrywoman after she broke up with him and moved out of their shared flat in Sharjah.

He stalked her for weeks and repeatedly tried to call her but she ignored his attempts at reconciliation. On March 1, 2016, he bought a baseball bat and knife from a shop in Deira before going to her office in Silicon Oasis.

Records show he hid in an emergency exit and, at 5.30pm, entered the woman’s office and began hitting her with the bat. After bludgeoning her, he stabbed her repeatedly in the neck with the knife.

A Kenyan colleague of the victim saw the man barge into the office and attack the woman.

She said the victim, whose age was not disclosed in court records, tried to run away and hide in the toilet when she saw her attacker, but the door was locked.

“He set a petrol-soaked piece of cloth on fire and threw it on the rug then rushed towards the victim,” said the witness, 27.

“She started screaming at him but he hit her with the baseball bat. She fell to the ground and he resumed hitting her on the head.”

The witness ran out in search of help but could not find anyone, so she called police. Civil Defence and police arrived to find the victim dead.

“The victim broke up with the defendant because he was an alcoholic,” the friend said.

Police identified the man from security camera footage that showed him entering and leaving the building.

He was arrested the same day after police found him hiding in a friend’s flat in Sharjah.

At Dubai Criminal Court, in February last year, the killer admitted to charges of murder, arson and wrecking private property but told judges he did not plan the murder.

Prosecutors argued that the defendant bought a baseball bat and a knife before carrying out the crime, which showed criminal intent.

He was convicted of all charges and sentenced to life in prison, which in the UAE is 25 years in jail.

The Kenyan cargo inspector also set the woman’s workplace on fire with a petrol-soaked cloth