Dubai: A waiter will be jailed for one year for walking into his ex-girlfriend’s residence and setting her shoe and bed on fire after she ditched him.

The 26-year-old Indian waiter, A.R., had admitted that he got drunk before he visited his Filipina ex-girlfriend’s residence [at a hotel] and set her shoe and bed on fire after she broke up with him in October.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed A.R. for a year for deliberately setting fire to the waitress’s belongings, endangering the life of a Filipina waitress [who was sleeping], wrecking private belongings worth Dh200, and causing damage to hotel properties worth Dh2,100 and consuming liquor.

According to Sunday’s ruling, presiding judge Mohammad Jamal acquitted A.R. of secretly entering a women-only place [the female staff residence at the hotel].

The accused and the Filipina receptionist worked in the same hotel at Jumeirah Palm, said records.

“I was too drunk and not aware of what I did. I did it unintentionally, but I don’t even remember starting a fire. I wrecked the claimant’s belongings, but I have already paid for the damages. I went there to see my ex-girlfriend,” the accused argued in court when he entered his plea.

The receptionist said the residence’s supervisor informed her over the phone that her room had been set on fire.

“I discovered that the fire had been put out. The defendant had set my shoe and bed on fire… the fire spread to the bed, the walls and the curtains. My colleague [the waitress] was sleeping but she woke up once the fire started,” claimed the receptionist.

The waitress claimed that she opened her eyes when the fire alarm rang.

“When I saw my roommate’s bed on fire, I rushed out of the room because it was full of smoke. I was scared of getting burnt,” she said.

An Egyptian security supervisor testified that the accused told him that he had started the fire when he was very drunk.

The waiter was cited admitting to prosecutors that he went drinking with one of his friends.

“We consumed alcohol then I returned to my residence [provided by the hotel where he worked]. I went to my ex-girlfriend’s room and put her shoe on the bed. Then I used my lighter to set it on fire,” he was quoted as saying.

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