Dubai: A security guard told a court on Wednesday that the feeling of guilt he experienced after stealing his co-worker’s mobile phone was what made him return the stolen item.

The 26-year-old Ugandan aircraft washer [co-worker] was said to have plugged his mobile phone in to the battery charger in a canteen at Al Maktoum Airport after asking the 27-year-old Pakistani guard for an electric connection to recharge his phone in August.

After plugging his phone for charging, the Ugandan went back to work, according to records. When he returned after 45 minutes to take the phone, he found it missing.

The washer asked several of his colleagues, including the guard, who all told him that they had not seen his mobile.

The Ugandan then notified his superiors at work before police were alerted about the phone theft.

Primary police investigation revealed that the only other person who knew about the missing phone was the 27-year-old guard who was apprehended.

The prosecution charged the Pakistani suspect with stealing the phone worth Dh950.

When he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance, the suspect pleaded not guilty at first and claimed that he found the phone in the canteen.

“Why did you keep it with you then?” presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi asked.

“I took the phone from the canteen when I found it there ... but later when I kept it with me, I felt remorse and couldn’t beat the feeling of guilt, so I decided to give it back, and I did,” replied the suspect.

He said he was sorry for the mistake that he had done and asked the court for mercy.

The Ugandan washer testified to prosecutors that his battery ran out of power as he had been talking with his family back home.

“I grabbed my charger and went looking for an electric socket to plug it in. The suspect guided me to one of the sockets at the canteen ... I went back to my work after connecting my phone for charging. Sometime later, when I went to get my phone back, I could not find it. I asked most of my colleagues, including the suspect, who all told me that they had not seen the phone. I reported the matter to my supervisors and they called the police as it was deemed a case of theft,” he told prosecutors.

A policeman testified to prosecutors that primary interrogations revealed that the suspect had been linked to the theft.

“On-site investigation revealed that he had not been tasked with watching the canteen. During questioning, he admitted that he had taken the phone and intended to sell it for Dh200-300 and use the money for himself,” the policeman told prosecutors.

A ruling will be heard on November 15.