Dubai A technician, who killed his workmate by dropping a rock on him from an eighth-floor rooftop, has been jailed for life.

The 25-year-old Indian technician and his friends had decided to throw a farewell party for their coworkers and went to dine at a restaurant where the technician quarrelled with restaurant’s manager.

All the coworkers were kicked out from the restaurant and were walking back to their labour accommodation when the Indian victim blamed the technician for mistreating the manager.

The victim and the 25-year-old had a heated argument before the victim pushed the technician, who fell down on the ground in March 2016.

The men continued walking until where they reached an 8-storey building [near their accommodation] under construction and sat down to consume liquor. The technician then excused himself and said he had to go up to the roof to pick up his laundry.

Then he rolled a big rock to the edge of the roof from where he dropped it over the victim’s head, killing him on the spot.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the 25-year-old defendant for life for premeditated murder of his countryman and injuring another.

The accused had pleaded not guilty contending that he hurled the rock but did not intend to kill the deceased.

Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal said the accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment.

A police sergeant testified that when he questioned the defendant, the latter admitted to him that he threw the rock on the victim and his co-worker.

“The defendant said the deceased offended him and blamed him after he mistreated the restaurant manager ... he claimed that the victim had been angry at him for being thrown out of the restaurant. He claimed that he wanted revenge after the victim pushed him and he fell. When they sat underneath the building to drink alcohol, according to the defendant’s statement, he went up to the roof and threw the rock on the victim. He said that when he went down, the victim was motionless and bled profusely from his head … his other co-worker was injured,” the sergeant said.

The 29-year-old Indian co-worker, who was injured, testified that he spotted the defendant looking down from the roof instantly after the rock fell on him and the deceased.

He said the rock fell four minutes after the defendant had left them.

“I tried to wake the victim up but he was motionless and unconscious as he bled profusely from his head. Police arrived shortly after we called them … paramedics said the victim had died immediately,” he said.

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