Electrician jailed over bid to kill new roommate

Dubai: An electrician has been jailed for six months for trying to kill his new roommate and assaulting another, as he was angered by his employer’s decision to force them to share a room.

The Indian electrician, J.M., was drunk when he stabbed a 30-year-old worker, S.M., with a fruit knife in his stomach and wounded a 23-year-old co-worker, J.S., in his thigh and ran away in July.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted J.M. of attempted murder, assault and consuming alcohol.

The accused admitted that he consumed liquor but contended that he was very drunk and did not intend to try to kill the victim.

“I did not know what I was doing. I entered the room and we had a heated argument and then a fight,” he told the court.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar said the accused will be deported following the completion of his jail term.

The knife will be confiscated, said the judge.

Swift medical intervention helped save the life of the 30-year-old worker, who was rushed to hospital instantly.

When asked if he had intended to kill the victim when he stabbed him, the accused replied: “I did not intend to kill him. Actually I did not [intend to do] what I did. I have already reconciled with the claimant.”

S.M. testified that the incident happened shortly after their employer moved them into the same room with the defendant at the labour accommodation.

“The minute he walked into the room, he seemed angry and very drunk. We had a heated argument once we started discussing the issue of sharing the room. Colleagues stopped us the first time … then we had another argument and the suspect stabbed me in my stomach. When J.S. tried to intervene, J.M. stabbed him in the thigh. The defendant ran away and our co-workers called the police and an ambulance,” he claimed.

J.S. confirmed S.M.’s statement before prosecutors.

Wednesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.