Blacksmith gets life for killing compatriot
The 24-year-old told the court that he stabbed the victim when the latter tried to molest and have sex with him
Dubai: An Indian blacksmith has been jailed for life for premeditatedly killing his compatriot, whom he claimed had asked to have sex with him in public.
The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the 24-year-old blacksmith, J.A., to life, which is 25 years in jail according to UAE rules.
Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout, who pronounced Tuesday's judgment, said the accused will be deported after the completion of his punishment.
"I was under the influence of alcohol and I was unconscious and did not realise what I did," argued the accused while defending himself in the court.
Prosecutors who questioned, J.A., quoted him as admitting to stabbing his compatriot victim, S.N., thrice when the latter tried to molest and have sex with him in an open area in Muhaisnah.
Medical reports said S.N. succumbed immediately after being stabbed in his heart, chest and neck.
Prosecutors charged J.A. with premeditated killing associated with theft.
Re-enacted
The accused pleaded not guilty and claimed he was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
An Omani policeman, who took the defendant to re-enact the crime at the murder scene, testified that the accused pointed out to the spot where he hid the murder weapon. "He guided us to a nearby bush where he placed the knife in an yellow sack and threw 50 meters away from the murder spot… he alleged also that he stabbed the deceased when he tried to molest him and have sex with him. He showed us the garbage tanks where he threw the victim's wallet and the cloth with which he wiped the victim's blood off his hands," claimed the policeman.
The blacksmith stated: "I was sleeping in a sandy spot… the deceased approached me and touched himself then asked to have sex with me. I grabbed the knife and stabbed him repeatedly then I took his money."
The primary judgment is still subject to appeal within 15 days.
