Assault lands trio in jail for five years

Dubai: The Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday sentenced three assailants to five years in jail for robbing Dh270,000 in cash and cheques from a businessman and causing him two per cent permanent disability after attacking him in an elevator.

The attackers, all Indian nationals, were convicted of theft and beating up the Pakistani businessman.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir also said the trio would be deported after serving their sentence.

The attackers, however, denied the charges.

Records said one of the attackers took the elevator from the third floor of a building to the second floor, where two of his associates jumped in, beat up the Pakistani businessman, H.F., and stole his money bag.

"When the elevator door opened at the second floor, two of the accused sprayed pepper in my eyes and beat me up, before snatching the moneybag and running away," the 25-year-old businessman testified during interrogation by the Public Prosecution.

"I kept grabbing at the clothes of the third accused, who remained in the elevator until we reached the ground floor. He then quickly freed himself, opened the elevator door and escaped. Some pedestrians and I chased him up and stopped him before the police arrived," H.F. testified.

On appearing before the court, the trio, 36-year-old visitor M.E., 29-year-old S.S. and 36-year-old A.M., pleaded not-guilty against the Public Prosecution's charges of stealing Dh210,000 in cash and six cheques for Dh60,000 from the moneybag and beating up H.F., causing permanent disability to his mouth and the loss of two teeth.

A shop attendant testified, saying he had seen the victim running down Al Mussallah Road, shouting out "thief, thief!", repeatedly, while chasing A.M.

A police lieutenant testified that the suspects had attacked the victim inside the elevator of the building where he was residing.