UAE | Crime

Pilot jailed for 6 months for locking up friend

Defendant wins reduced imprisonment in retrial, has deportation order cancelled

By Bassam Za’za’, Legal and Court Correspondent
Published: 18:52 February 19, 2013

Dubai: An American pilot won a reduced imprisonment during a retrial in which he denied any criminal intention when he locked up his female friend in his flat.

The Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday reduced the 28-year-old pilot’s one-year imprisonment to six months after he requested a retrial because he was sentenced in absentia in December.

Prosecutors charged the defendant with unlawfully confining his 23-year-old Bahraini friend by locking her inside his flat and asked for the implementation of the toughest punishment applicable.

In December, the American was sentenced in absentia to a year in jail followed by deportation.

During the retrial, his advocate Diana Hamade provided the presiding judge with a waiver that was obtained from the Bahraini.

Advocate Diana argued: “My client did not have any bad or criminal intention. Besides the claimant reconciled with the defendant and dropped her complaint. We ask the court to cancel his one-year imprisonment and acquit him. No harm was inflicted on the claimant, who willingly granted my client a waiver. She has also come to court to drop her complaint in person.“

Meanwhile the defendant entered a not guilty plea in court.

“I was not feeling well that day after I had an accident,” claimed the defendant.

“The defendant and I are close friends… we have reconciled. The confinement did not cause me any injury. When I communicated with the police, I explained that the defendant had had an accident and he wasn’t aware of what he did. I am here to drop my complaint,” the Bahraini friend told the court.

“I ask the court to clear my client or to grant him a reduced or suspended punishment after the claimant dropped her charges,” argued advocate Diana.

Following Tuesday’s judgement, she told Gulf News that she would appeal the primary verdict within the 15-day legal period.

The American got angry with his friend when she spoke to him tensely, according to prosecution records, so he locked her for one hour in his flat in Shurouq near Mirdif.

Court records said the defendant prevented his friend from leaving the flat on October 4.

According to Tuesday’s judgement, the deportation order has been cancelled.

Records said the friend deposited her passport in the traffic department after the pilot was involved in a car accident. She claimed that he got angry and locked her inside the flat while she was searching for the police receipt that she needed to release her passport.