Man jailed for burning friend’s car in loan row

Legal and Court Correspondent

Aman has been jailed for three months for setting his friend’s vehicle ablaze in a fit of rage as the car owner was late in repaying his debt.

On Sunday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the Pakistani defendant, 34, of using a lighter to set fire to the cabin of the pickup that was parked in the sandy area at Al Quoz Industrial area.

The accused was also fined Dh11,000 and will be deported after serving his term, said presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi.

When he appeared in court, the accused argued that he lent money to his friend and later asked him to repay the money because his wife was sick. “I needed money for her treatment. He kept delaying the payment and later stopped answering my calls … so I set his pickup on fire,” the defendant contended in court.

Sunday’s ruling remains subject to appeal.