Dubai: A man was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday for the premeditated murder of his lover's husband.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced 23-year-old R.K, a Sri Lankan, to life followed by deportation for murdering his compatriot. Life imprisonment carries a jail term of 25 years, according to UAE law.

R.K. appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance and denied the murder charge, claiming that he only wanted to quarrel with the victim, but did not intend to kill him.

Poorly-lit alley

According to Public Prosecutions records, the murder occurred in the Al Jafiliya area in June in a poorly-lit alley while the husband (J.P) and his wife were strolling hand-in-hand.

In a fit of rage, R.K. attacked J.P. with a knife, stabbing him in the back. R.K. ran away after the initial attack, but the victim chased him and the two engaged in a fight. The victim was stabbed again in the neck and chest before R.K. escaped.

Initially, the wife claimed that her husband was murdered by an African man. But upon further investigation, it was discovered that she and R.K. had been in a long-term affair without the husband's knowledge.

"The wife claimed that an African man stabbed her husband. We widened our investigations until some witnesses disclosed to us that R.K. was the wife's workmate and they were having an affair.

"When we summoned her for questioning, the wife admitted that the 23-year-old suspect allegedly killed her husband," testified a lieutenant who questioned the wife. The Emirati lieutenant discovered the affair between R.K. and the victim's wife. The wife then accused R.K. of murdering her husband because of his blind jealousy.

‘Afraid'

"She claimed to me that she was afraid of reporting R.K. because he was her lover and she alleged that the defendant stabbed J.P. because he [her husband] was sleeping with her," testified the lieutenant.

The wife (S.T.) was prosecuted before the Dubai Misdemeanours Court for having consensual sex with R.K.

S.T was also prosecuted for aiding a criminal to escape justice, alongside R.K.'s mother who tried to help him flee the country before he was caught.