Dubai: The case of a Sudanese man who claimed he was bulletproof and was shot to death in 1998 has been reopened.

A 38-year-old Emirati, A.K., who was convicted in 2005 along with his 30-year-old compatriot A.S. of premeditatedly shooting the Sudanese man to death, asked Dubai Appeals Court yesterday to reduce his life sentence to one year after obtaining a waiver from the victim's parents.

Prosecution records quoted A.K. as admitting that the deceased, A.M., claimed that he had superpowers which made him bulletproof and based on A.M.'s request, he [A.K.] shot him in his chest and A.S. shot him in the head.

"My client's parents reached the family of A.M. and convinced them to reconcile and waive their right. It took them exhausting efforts to reach the blood parents and obtained the notarised waiver in December 2009.

"According to Article 332 of the Federal Penal Code, we ask the jury to reduce the life sentence [25 years in jail] of A.K. to one year," A.K.'s lawyer Saeed Al Ghailani told Presiding Judge Mustafa Al Shennawi yesterday.

Earlier sentence

On February 7, 2006, the Dubai Cassation Court handed an irrevocable life sentence against A.K. and A.S.

Prosecutors had charged the two Emiratis with plotting the premeditated murder of the Sudanese victim.

Yesterday, Al Ghailani contended before Presiding Judge Al Shennawi in courtroom 20: "Article 332 stipulates that a murder-convict who obtains a waiver from blood parents can appeal for reduction of the imprisonment to minimum one year in jail…The Dubai Court of First Instance had earlier rejected our plea, but today we are seeking leniency and ask the Appeals Court to reduce A.K.'s punishment to a year," argued Al Ghailani.

Presiding Judge Al Shennawi will issue his verdict next week.

Earlier this year, the Dubai Court of First Instance dismissed A.K.'s plea to reduce his punishment ‘because the court deemed that the murder happened premeditatedly and deliberately'.

Meanwhile, Al Ghailani countered the Court of First Instance's decision and argued before the Appeals Court yesterday: "My client did not premeditatedly kill the victim. Calling A.M. four times is not considered an act of premeditation or deliberation… the victim asked the convicts to shoot him to corroborate his claims that he was bulletproof and had superpowers."

The crime dates back to November 1998 when A.K. and A.S. [who was sentenced in absentia and records show that he escaped to Yemen] prepared a Norico Belgian 9mm pistol which they used to gun down the victim.

Prosecution records said prior to the shooting, A.K. phoned A.M. four times to ask him about magic, sorcery and superstitious matters.

The defendants picked A.M. from Al Hamriya and drove to a desert spot in the Al Ruwayyah area. A.K. shot him in his chest and A.S. shot him in the head.

Profile: Superpower specialist

Advocate Saeed Al Ghailani has become specialized in cases involving individuals who claim to enjoy superpowers.

This is the second case of its kind which advocate Al Ghailani has handled before the Dubai Courts.

Two years ago, Al Ghailani defended a Yemeni merchant, who claimed he had a Dh1.8 million onyx ring which made the person who wore it immune to bullets.

The Dubai Appeals Court sentenced the 52-year-old Yemeni to three months in jail followed by deportation after he was found guilty of attempted swindling and trying to con people by posting a newspaper advertisement in which he promoted the bulletproof onyx-stone ring for Dh1.8 billion.

Al Ghailani convinced the Appeals Court to reduce the primary verdict of six months' imprisonment to three months.