Dubai: A detainee has been charged with setting his bed ablaze in his detention centre after a doctor refused to give him the medicine he requested during a hospital visit.
Prosecutors charged the 21-year-old Emirati detainee with arson for deliberately setting his bed and bedcover on fire, and endangering the lives of policemen and other detainees at the Al Rashidiya Police Station.
Jail guards failed to bring the suspect, A.A., from his lock-up to present him in the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday where he was scheduled to be prosecuted.
According to the arraignment sheet, prosecutors charged A.A. with intentionally setting fire to his bed and its cover with a lighter. He was additionally charged with damaging public property [Al Rashidiya Police Station's mattress, bedcover and bed in the lock-up] and endangering the lives of policemen and detainees.
An Emirati policeman testified that the incident happened after A.A. and his cellmate were brought back from a visit to Rashid Hospital.
"While taking them to the lock-up, A.A. said he would start a fire because the doctor did not give him the requested medicine. Fifteen minutes later, my colleague, the nurse and I went to the lock-up to supervise the distribution of the detainees' medication… We spotted the suspect using the lighter and setting fire to his bed and bedcover.
"Some detainees asked him to put out the fire, but he refused. However, the detainees themselves then put out the fire… heavy smoke filled the air because of the fire. We evacuated the cells and informed the duty officer," the policeman claimed in his statement before prosecutors.
Intervened
Another Emirati policeman testified that he spotted the defendant standing behind the cell's door before starting the fire.
"The cellmates asked him to stop, but he did not listen. We asked other detainees to stand away from the fire, but some of them intervened and put it out," he said.
Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad adjourned the case until March 25.
