Five stand trial in kidnapping and murder of Pak taxi driver

The Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday adjourned the hearing in a case of kidnap, murder and theft to April 3 on the request of the defence lawyer.
Judge Fahmi Mounir adjourned the hearing as the defence lawyer said that his client, I.B., a 20-year-old Emirati, had gone out of the country on May 2, 2006 and was out of Dubai when the murder occurred.
Pending the next hearing, the Public Prosecution would check with the authorities at the Khaled Port in Sharjah to see if any travel document of I.B. could be furnished.

Four other defendants are involved in the case - A.M., 33, bidoun; A.A., 21, Iranian; A.R, 32, bidoun; and T.A., 20, Pakistani student, all unemployed. All of them had pleaded not guilty to the charges of kidnap, murder and theft when the trial began on December 27, 2007.

According to the court records, on May 5, 2006, the five defendants allegedly kidnapped Pakistani taxi driver A.K., killed him and stole Dh1,100 and a mobile phone from him.

According to the Public Prosecution, the five defendants had admitted that they got in the alleged victim’s car from Maydan Bani Yas area and told him to drop them in Al Quoz Industrial Area. As the car reached an isolated area on the way, they asked him for money, which he refused.

“This angered the defendants who stabbed him on different parts of his body. They finally killed him while he was still on the driver’s seat. Then they dragged the body out of the car and dumped it a few metres away. The body was found by the police nearly six hours later.

The defendants also admitted they had carried a knife, sword, a cleaver and a metallic baton to commit the crime. Source

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Two acquitted of charges of locking up female dancer

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday acquitted an Indian manager of a hotel night club and an Indian dancer of charges of illegally locking up a Pakistani woman dancer, A.M., 19, in a flat which caught fire leading to the latter’s death.

The court, however, referred the two to the Court of Misdemeanour to face charges of unintentionally causing the Pakistani dancer’s death.

According to court records, on July 30, 2007, Indian manager D.D., 40, and the Indian dancer B.K., 22, were accused of illegally locking up A.M. in the flat where other dancers were also lodged. One of the girls, J.K., who has already been referred to the Court of Misdemeanour, lit a prayer lamp and forgot to put it out before leaving the room. The prayer lamp apparently was the cause of the fire which resulted in A.M.’s death.

Meanwhile, another Pakistani dancer T.N., 22, who was in the locked flat with A.M., told the court that while all her colleagues had all gone to the club for work at night, she had stayed with the victim in the flat and that it was locked by B.K. A little later, she saw smoke coming out of A.M.’s room followed by flames that shortly engulfed the flat.

T.N. was rescued by neighbours but A.M. was not so fortunate. Source

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Filipino gets 15 years for killing pregnant wife

The Dubai Court of First Instance has sentenced a Filipino to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of murdering his wife, R.L., on suspicion of infidelity. He will be deported on completion of his jail term. The victim was a live-in housemaid with a British family.

According to court records, the accused decided to kill his wife, a housemaid, because he suspected the child that she was carrying in her womb was not his. The couple had quarrelled over the issue several times.

On the basis of his confessional statement to the police, the prosecution alleged that the accused confronted his wife at her employer’s house, while her employer was away. He grabbed her by the neck and strangled her while banging her head against the bathroom wall which resulted in her death. During the struggle, the victim bit his fingers, resulting in injuries to the accused’s fingers. The accused could not give a convincing explanation to the police for the injuries.

After committing the crime, the accused fled through the window, the court was told. A criminal laboratory report later established that the defendant was the biological father of the baby, who died along with his mother. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to 15 years in jail to be followed by deportation. Source

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Youth stabs father to death

The Dubai Police have referred a 23-year-old Pakistani national A.N. to Public Prosecution for allegedly murdering his 62-year-old father. The incident took place in Al Safia Building in the Hor Al Anz area of Dubai on February 1, 2008.

The suspect, according to his mother, is mentally unstable.

According to police, the suspect’s father, identified as Chaudhry, gave Dh10 to his wife for buying a pair of batteries. The woman spent Dh8 and gave the remaining Dh2 to A.N. and went for a walk. A.N. spent the amount on cigarettes. On knowing this, Chaudhry admonished his son who, apparently in a fit of rage, allegedly stabbed his father on his head.

The suspect then ran out to inform his mother, who along with some neighbours rushed to her home. The police were informed immediately, but before they could arrive Chaudhry succumbed to his injuries. Source

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Indian brothers get life term for murder in Dubai

A court here has sentenced two Indian brothers to life imprisonment for murdering a compatriot and dumping his body in a hole after stealing his mobile phone.
The Dubai Court of First Instance awarded the life term, which effectively means 25 years in prison, to the Indian men, who have been identified only as 42-year-old JO and 28-year-old OO.

They were convicted of the premeditated murder of their compatriot DB, who was beaten with an iron bar and suffocated with a wet towel. The brothers were also found guilty of stealing his mobile phone.
The brothers will be deported after serving their sentence, which is subject to appeal.
The duo denied they intended to kill DB and told the court they accidentally murdered him after a quarrel. However, confessed to drinking and hiding the victim's body in a hole. Source

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Court upholds death sentence of murderer

The Appeal Court in Sharjah on Sunday upheld the death sentence against an American who murdered a German engineer last year, a legal source told Gulf News.

The court rejected the plea of Shahid Poliss King and confirmed the death sentence against him for killing Martin Herbert Steiner by suffocating him, stuffing the body in a suitcase and dumping it in the desert.
A court source told Gulf News Poliss, in his mid-30s, was sentenced to death while his Ethiopian partner, Fawzia Nigash Yousuf, was convicted of aiding and abetting the crime, theft and having an illicit affair.
Steiner, a 48-year-old German businessman, had been reported missing and his decomposed body was found 15 days later by police off the Dubai-Hatta Road.
Poliss, an American Muslim, entered the country on a visit visa using a forged British passport, according to sources.
Sources said he shaved his beard and posed as a gay on a website. Fawzia had contacted Poliss after reading a newspaper advertisement for a housemaid.
Poliss convinced Fawzia to offer sexual services to customers, and it was alleged the money received was to be used on the Al Qaida terror network.
Police reportedly found CDs at Poliss's house on how to make poisonous chemical substances and drugs. They also found pictures of girls aged less than eight sitting on his bed.
The Ethiopian woman got three years in prison followed by deportation. (Gulf News)

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Mother of four strangled by ex-husband

A 32-year-old UAE national reportedly strangled his former wife to death over disputes that included custody of their four children.
Sources in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) Police said the accused, Y.A.Kh, who has speech difficulties, strangled his former wife with a wire at around midnight a few days ago. The accused, who lives in Al Salma area, surrendered to the police after committing the crime.

Police sources said the two have four children from their marriage. They had moved court to settle some domestic disputes, including their children’s custody. The accused later led the police to the crime scene where the body of the woman was recovered by the police. Source

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Decomposed body found

A highly-decomposed body of an unidentified man was found hanging from a tree in the Al Qouz Industrial Area on Wednesday.
The Dubai Police have begun investigations and the body has been sent for forensic examination.
The body was discovered by Bin Bleilah Contracting Company technical staff who had gone to the area to carry out cabling work.
A police source said that the man died probably several days ago because the body was found in a decomposed condition. Source

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Hotel stab murder

An Egyptian man stabbed an American tourist to death inside a room at a Dubai hotel, a court was told. The defendant, 26, is alleged to have repeatedly stabbed his victim following a prolonged drinking session in one of the hotel’s bedrooms.

The American victim was discovered naked, lying in a pool of blood, by a maid who had arrived to clean the room, the court was told. He had suffered multiple stab wounds to his back. At the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday the defendant denied murder and said it was he who had been threatened with a knife and that he was only defending himself in the ensuing fight.
He told the court that he had met the American at a bus stop and after a conversation had agreed to go with him to the hotel. He said a fight erupted after he refused to have sex with the tourist. He told the court that the victim threatened him with a knife and that a struggle had then broken out between them resulting in the man’s accidental death.
Police traced the attacker after watching CCTV footage taken from inside the hotel showing the men entering the premises together and then the defendant leaving alone. He was arrested by CID officers in Dubai and denies a charge of murder.
The trial has been adjourned until later this month to hear from witnesses and the defendant was kept in custody. Source

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Baby killed by mother

The Dubai Appeal Court yesterday upheld a three-year sentence for a Filipina mother who killed her baby girl. Last December the woman was washing the baby when she fell from her grasp and hit the side of the bath.

The woman said she had not worried about any injuries as the baby had seemed normal and continued to feed normally. However, the next day she realised something was wrong and took her baby to Rashid Hospital where it was pronounced dead.
She was investigated after medical staff reported her to the authorities. The Filipina will be deported after serving her sentence. Source

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Watchman found murdered in Al Quoz

A 25-year-old Bangladeshi national was found murdered in Al Qouz Industrial Area, Dubai, yesterday morning .
The body of Ziaul Haq Mohammed, who was a watchman of Union Company, was found lying in a pool of blood in the company’s building under construction by his friend and roommate.
The friend woke up at 7am and was surprised not to find Zia in the room. He went out to look for him and was shocked to see the body. The friend, whose identity has not been disclosed, called up company officials who informed the police about the murder.

Police officials, forensic experts and a doctor rushed to the crime scene. They suspect the victim was beaten to death. There were signs of resistance. The victim’s watch and mobile phone and an iron object used by the assailant were found near the body.
The police have arrested one suspect, who also works as a watchman in the vicinity. Police sources said theft could be the motive behind the crime. Source

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Woman told to pay diya despite kin waiving rights

A woman convicted of causing the death of her brother's wife and daughter must pay Dh150,000 in compensation despite the brother waiving his share, an appeal court has ruled.
M.K.M, 26, an Emirati was driving a vehicle with her sister-in-law S.M.M, her niece F.S.A and her own son M.S.M on board.
The driver then lost control of the car which rolled over and crashed against mountain rocks.
M.K.M and her son escaped with minor injuries but the other two passengers S.M.M and F.S.A died in the accident after sustaining severe head injuries, including crushed sculls.
The Fujairah Court of First Instance convicted the driver, M.K.M, of causing the death of the two passengers and causing physical harm to her son.
Brother's help

She was also found guilty of reckless driving, negligence and breaking traffic rules. The court fined her Dh800.
The court took into consideration the wish of S.A.M, the brother of the convicted driver, not to claim any compensation from his sister. However, the public prosecution later appealed the decision citing that other family members of the deceased must be paid their share.
According to Islamic rulings the husband is only entitled to a quarter of the compensation or diya, the appeal claimed, with other family members entitled to the rest. The Appeal Court upheld the appeal and awarded Dh150,000 to the rest of S.M.M family but no diya was due to F.S.A family as S.A.M is the sole beneficiary to his daughter's diya.
Verdict in murder case on August 6
Fujairah: The verdict in the case of a man accused of killing his divorced wife in Dibba will be announced on August 6, Gulf News has learnt.
The murder took place in September of last year, when an Emirati man allegedly shot his ex-wife, B.B.A, an Indian national in her thirties, because he felt her behaviour was inappropriate.
Eyewitnesses allegedly saw the man knock on the door of his ex-wife with a gun in his hand and after she came to the door he fired at her from point-blank range killing her immediately. The man later admitted the murder to the public prosecution citing he felt her conduct was suspicious. Source

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Arab lady detained

The Sharjah Police have detained an Arab woman in connection with the case of a 20-year-old Indonesian housemaid who died after falling from the 18th floor of a highrise building on Jamal Abdul Nasser Street on Wednesday, police sources said.
"The housemaid had been working with the Arab family for the past two months. We are investigating the matter," the police source said, refusing to divulge further details."It is too early to say anything. We will release the details of the case once the investigations are over," the police source said. Source

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Court raises jail term for three in murder case

A court has increased the jail sentence for three Iranian visitors for murdering a watchman at a construction company site and stealing expensive equipment.
Dubai Court of Appeal increased the jail sentence to 15 years each from 10 years for the three killers identified as J.A., S.M. and T.R. They will be deported after serving their sentence.
The Public Prosecution charged the trio of tying up 32-year-old Indian watchman, A.M., and stuffing his vest in his mouth until he suffocated. They were also charged with stealing a digital geometer, worth Dh2,000, from the company's premises in Al Safa.
Fourth suspect escaped
The defendants had originally planned to steal construction equipment worth more than Dh50,000.

Forensic experts found the victim tied up and a vest stuffed in his mouth.
Investigations said the defendants planned the robbery and monitored the site for a week before they struck. They approached the watchman and posed as inspectors who wanted to examine the place, the police said. When the watchman grew suspicious and prevented them from entering the site, they killed him.
The defendants, however, denied the charges when questioned by the public prosecution. The Iranians pleaded innocent before Dubai Court of First Instance. The verdict is subject to appeal.
Police said a fourth suspect fled the country with the stolen equipment. Source

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