Dubai: A man who killed a hotel worker by stabbing him 28 times because he stalked his sister and defamed her on Facebook has been jailed for 15 years.

The Dubai Court of First Instance found the 27-year-old Indian defendant, K.A, guilty of murdering the Filipino victim, D.N., after luring him to the hotel’s basement parking area and stabbing him repeatedly with a fruit knife.

The accused entered a not guilty plea.

Prosecutors said the defendant planned to murder the Filipino because he harassed and stalked his sister on Facebook and repeatedly rang her up.

“The accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment,” said Presiding Judge Mohammad Jamal.

Records said K.A. ensured D.N. was at work before taking the knife which he hid under his clothes and heading to the hotel to kill him.

The accused lured D.N. to the underground parking area, and once he was sure they were alone, committed the murder.

Dubai Police’s forensic examiner said the victim had 28 knife wounds to his upper body.

“The victim had knife cuts on his neck and arms which evidently meant that he tried to defend himself. The number of knife wounds signified the defendant held so much ferocity inside of him and wanted to ensure the victim’s death,” the forensic examiner testified in court.

Police identified the defendant soon after the from the surveillance camera footage in the hotel lobby and basement parking.

K.A. had his right arm bandaged when he was arrested shortly before he boarded a plane at Dubai International Airport.

A Somali police corporal said K.A. admitted to him that he stabbed D.N. because the latter harassed his sister over the internet. “He claimed that he got rid of the knife and his clothes in the garbage… but the murder weapon was never recovered,” said the corporal.

The defendant said that D.N. had worked with his sister in India.

K.A. said that he lodged a police complaint in India, according to his prosecution statement, against D.N. for harassing his sister over the internet and through Facebook, texts and phone calls.

The defendant said D.N. continued stalking his sister after he was terminated from his job in India and found employment in the hotel in Dubai.

“K.A. alleged that the victim threatened him over the phone that he and his sister would die, when he [the defendant] failed to resolve the matter with him. The suspect claimed that he hid the knife under his clothes and went to meet the victim. When they met, D.N. refused to stop harassing his sister, claimed K.A. The latter alleged that when he warned D.N. that he would report his actions to Dubai police, the Filipino shouted and threatened to kill him,” said the corporal.

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