Previously deported man jailed for 4 years in Fujairah

Fujairah: An Iranian man was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, to be followed by deportation, by the Fujairah Appeal Court for a string of drug and immigration offences.

The man, A.S.A., lodged an appeal after a lower court found him guilty on 11 charges, ranging from possessing drugs to re-entering the country illegally after being previously deported for drug and sexual assault offences.

The suspect was apprehended by an anti-drug police unit from Dibba Al-Fujairah near the border area with the Omani territory of Dibba Al Bay'a.

Medical reason

Police found in his possession a quantity of illegal pills and other drugs and the suspect was escorted to Dibba Hospital for a urine test, which later turned up traces of a banned substance.

A.S.A. claimed to have taken the drug when he was in his home country and that the pills in his possession were for medical use. The Fujairah Appeal Court did not believe the suspect's claims and upheld the earlier conviction by the Fujairah Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, the Fujairah Appeal Court has reduced the sentence of a man convicted of assaulting a police officer with a knife, from six to three months.

A 26 year-old Emirati, H.A., was previously convicted by the Fujairah Criminal Court of assaulting a public employee and physically resisting him while he was on duty.

The incident took place in January of this year when police were called out to a disturbance in a hotel in Dibba.

As the officer tried to intervene in the ensuing fight, between H.A. and another man, he was attacked by H.A. who stabbed the officer in his hand.

After his arrest, H.A., denied the charges of assault against the police officer but the Fujairah Public Prosecution found there was enough evidence to charge him.