Dubai: A jobless man lost his appeal and will spend a year in jail for fracturing a policeman’s arm and leg when the officer tried to apprehend him for bootlegging.
The policeman was on duty with his partner in Naif area when they spotted two Nigerian men selling liquor at a street corner in August 2016.
One of the Nigerian men, 33, was sitting beside a few boxes of liquor when the policeman asked him for his personal identification papers.
The Nigerian stood up and ran away once the policeman presented his police ID to him.
The policeman grabbed him in an attempt to foil his bid to flee, but the Nigerian resisted violently and kicked the policeman in his leg.
The policeman stood his ground and when he tried to handcuff the Nigerian, the 33-year-old pushed him and they fell down together.
When another policeman intervened to save his colleague, a 26-year-old Nigerian man came forward and beat him up.
Medical records confirmed that the assaulted policeman sustained a fractured arm and leg.
In May, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 33-year-old Nigerian of assaulting the policeman and causing him a 15 per cent permanent disability.
The defendant appealed the verdict before the Dubai Appeal Court where he pleaded not guilty.
On Wednesday, presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm rejected the appeal.
The accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment.
The assaulted policeman said the assault happened when he and his partners tried to apprehend the Nigerians for bootlegging.
“When I presented my police ID to the 33-year-old, he punched me in my belly and kicked my leg. When he tried to run away, I stopped him. We fell down and I fractured my arm and leg. My partner intervened and apprehended him … then I was taken to hospital,” he said.
Wednesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.
