Dubai: The psychiatric report on the mental stability of a father charged, along with his girlfriend, with torturing his daughter to death has not been completed and referred to court.

The Dubai Court of First Instance earlier referred the 29-year-old Emirati father, Hamad S., and his 27-year-old Emirati girlfriend, Al Onoud A., to Rashid Hospital’s psychological ward to be examined by three doctors.

The three-doctor committee did not finish their evaluation report that was scheduled to be handed over to court this morning.

Presiding Judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi said the committee did not finish evaluating the mental stability and accountability of the defendants. He added that Al Onoud has been referred to Latifa Hospital for further evaluation and check ups.

Hamad and his six-month pregnant girlfriend, Al Onoud pleaded earlier that they were mentally unstable and unaware of their actions at the time when they committed the crime.

Prosecutors charged them with illegally grounding Hamad’s two daughters in a flat and torturing eight-year-old Wudeema to death and injuring seven-year-old Meera. The latter sustained 10 per cent permanent disability.

During Wednesday’s hearing jail guards did not bring the defendants from their detention in Al Rashidiya police station and produce them in courtroom three where they were scheduled to appear.

Meanwhile, the daughters’ mother, uncle and the forensic doctor were present to give their statements. The court waited more than 20 minutes and when the suspects were not brought from detention, the judge adjourned the case until August 8.

The judge told Gulf News that the hearing was adjourned because the mental evaluation reports were not ready and the suspects were absent.

Earlier this month the court ordered that the two defendants be referred for psychological evaluation by the committee to determine whether the defendants were aware of their actions at the time of the incident.

Hamad denied torturing Wudeema to death. He also claimed that he took Meera to Rashid Hospital to treat her broken arm. He refuted the charge of unlawfully grounding them in his flat in International City.

Meanwhile, Al Onoud unexpectedly contended that Hamad did not do anything to his daughters. She said she bore the full responsibility alleging that she beat and tortured the sisters with hot water, electric wire and electrocuting them with a Taser gun.