Dubai: A driver, who was arrested 10 years after he premeditatedly killed a 59-year-old Emirati woman and tried to steal her safe in 2002, will be executed.

The elderly victim, M.M., was said to have been a benevolent person who was constantly visited by needy residents in Satwa for charity. The 50-year-old driver, A.A., from Comoros Islands, was said to have rented a car from Sharjah and monitored the woman’s house for three consecutive days before he deliberately killed her but failed to steal her safe.

The Dubai Court of First Instance handed A.A. the capital punishment after he was convicted of premeditated murder associated with attempted robbery.

The accused, who committed the crime in 2002 and was arrested in 2012, entered an innocent plea when he defended himself before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.

Chief Prosecutor Khalid Al Zarouni accused the defendant, according to the charge sheet, of preplanning to kill the elderly victim and steal her safe.

“The victim was famous in her neighbourhood for helping the needy and the poor. Driven by the devil, the defendant ensured that the woman was alone at her place when he sneaked into her home and killed her. A.A. strangled M.M. He did not have any mercy or consideration for her weakness or age when he smothered her. The defendant absconded when he failed to open the safe and steal its contents,” said Chief Prosecutor Al Zarouni.

Prosecutors asked for the implementation of the capital punishment against A.A.

An Emirati pensioner testified that he discovered M.M.’s body when his relative [the victim’s cousin] asked him to check on her because she was not answering her phone.

“My relative told me that she could not reach her cousin. Considering that she was elderly and lived alone, I went to check on her. I noticed that the front door was open. I walked in and called her name but she didn’t answer. When I entered the sitting room, I found her motionless on the ground and a white cloth covered her face. I rushed out and called the police,” claimed the retiree.

An Emirati police major testified that the house was turned upside down and someone tried to move her safe from the bedroom.

Prosecution records said the murder took place on September 5, 2002, meanwhile the defendant was arrested in March 2012 and forwarded for trial in September 2012.

The defendant was arrested because his fingerprints matched those lifted from the safe. 

He told police that on the day of the crime he bought five cans of beer and headed to the woman’s house. He wore a glove on one hand but couldn’t wear the other because the woman spotted him in her front yard.

A.A. admitted that he decided to rob M.M. when he learnt that she was a charitable person.

“I drove back to Ajman and continued drinking liquor following the incident. I did not come to Dubai for nearly ten years and constantly drove through Emirates Road,” the accused was cited as telling prosecutors.

Sunday’s judgement remains subject to appeal within 15 days.