Mechanic cleared of murdering air hostess

dubai — A mechanic assistant, on trial for murdering his girlfriend by strangling her to death because she wanted to break up with him, has been cleared of the charges by the Court of First Instance.

The 30-year-old Tunisian defendant denied using his “martial arts skills” to overpower his Japanese girlfriend, an air hostess, and throttling her as she threatened to leave him for another man. The incident took place on April 25, 2012, in the victim’s one-bedroom flat in Al Nahda-Al Qusais. The defendant was the last to see the victim alive when she returned to her flat from work around 5.50am. The body was discovered about 12 hours later.

The accused, who lived with the victim, allegedly told the police that he and the victim were married and she was alive when he left for work about 6.15am on the fateful day. He said he returned around 7.20pm and found her lying motionless on her back in the bathroom.

The police got suspicious about the defendant’s involvement in the crime as he kept changing his statement every time he was questioned by a different officer.

“The victim’s mother arrived shortly from Japan and she denied that her daughter was married to the accused. She confirmed that they used to fight a lot as the victim wanted to leave him,” a police lieutenant said.

One of the victim’s friends testified that the victim wanted the accused to move out and that he had once previously tried to strangle her, the officer added.

The police seized an iPad and Dh14,000 found hidden under a seat in his car. The accused admitted they belonged to the victim.

Through text messages and testimonies of the victim’s sister and colleagues, the police learnt that there were constant disputes between the two as the victim was not satisfied with their relationship and insisted on leaving him for another boyfriend.

The forensic expert said that the victim was strangled to death. The scratches and bruises on her body were inflicted on her prior to her death rather than resulted from her collapsing on her face.