Man behind toy gun stunt on bus drivers gets off lightly

Legal and Court Correspondent

Atechnician accused of threatening to kill speeding bus drivers with a toy gun will be admitted to a rehabilitation centre after the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday ruled that he was not criminally responsible for his actions.

In March, three bus drivers approached a policeman in Global Village, saying that a person had pointed a gun at them and threatened to shoot if they did not drive slowly. The policeman then tracked down the man, who turned out to be a 35-year-old Indian technician.

The man told the policeman that he was angered by reckless bus drivers and decided to use a toy gun in an attempt to scare them into slowing down.

“The suspect was not found to be criminally liable for his actions and he will be admitted to a rehabilitation centre for treatment,” said presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi.

The technician pleaded not guilty in court.

A Bangladeshi bus driver said the suspect approached him while he was picking up passengers. “He pointed a gun at me and asked me to open the window; he said he would kill me if I did not reduce my speed. I panicked and drove away. Later, when I went to inform my supervisor, I discovered that he had also threatened two co-workers,” he said.

The other two drivers confirmed their colleague’s statement.