Carpenter charged with fatal assault on friend
Prosecutors seek death penalty for case in which drunk victim was beaten to death
Dubai: A carpenter was charged with killing his friend by repeatedly punching him during an altercation over the latter's drunken state.
Prosecutors charged the Bangladeshi defendant, H.R., 29, of intentionally causing grievous harm to his countryman, M.S. The defendant was also charged with stealing the victim's mobile phone and wallet.
Jail wardens did not produce the suspect before the Dubai Court of First Instance where he was to stand trial on Thursday.
Prosecutors demanded that the suspect receive capital punishment as per Article 332 of the Federal Penal Code.
Prosecution records said a Bangladeshi cleaner found M.S.' body on a mound under a tree in Dubai Investment Park.
An Emirati policeman testified that primary interrogations led to H.R.'s arrest the next day.
The defendant claimed during questioning by prosecutors that he met M.S. by coincidence at a bus station at 10.30pm. "He was heavily drunk and asked me to walk him home. We walked for a while before I noticed that he wet his pants. When I asked him why he did so, M.S. cursed me and my family. We indulged in a heated argument that started a fight. He repeatedly cursed me before I threw several punches to his face. Then he fell down to the ground and continued cursing me. I knelt down and continued punching him… I stopped punching him because I realised that M.S. was breathing heavily and bled from his face," he said.
Personal effects
H.R. added: "I took away his wallet and mobile phone, then left him and walked away."
The policeman said the cleaner called police when he found the dead body at around 10:30am. Police interrogators and a forensic doctor rushed to the scene.
The doctor's report showed injuries to the head, face and chest as the cause of death.
The policeman said: "Primary interrogations exposed the involvement of H.R., who was arrested in Palm Jumeirah. At first he denied his involvement and said he did not know the victim until the incident. Then he admitted that he punched the victim and took his phone and wallet that contained Dh25. Police tracked down the defendant after he used the victim's SIM card and communicated with an Asian person."
