Dubai: Two jobless men, who broke into a Starbucks branch and stole Dh18,000 from the safe, have won a lenient punishment as their one-year imprisonment was reduced to six months each.

A 24-year-old Yemeni man and his 28-year-old Uzbek accomplice drove their car to the Starbucks branch at Shaikh Zayed Road, broke into the branch using a screwdriver and a crowbar and stole the cash from the safe in January 2016.

In May, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the duo to one year each for breaking into the cafe after wrecking the glass door, stealing cash and damaging the entrance and the safe.

The defendants appealed the ruling and asked the Appeal Court to reduce their punishments.

On Wednesday, presiding judge Dr Ahmad Hassan reduced the defendants’ one-year jail terms to six months citing grounds of leniency.

The two accused will be deported after serving their jail terms.

The Yemeni and Uzbek defendants had pleaded not guilty.

The branch manager of Starbucks said he discovered the burglary at 5.30am when he reported to work.

“Once I reached the branch, I found the glass door smashed and realised that someone had broken into the shop. Upon checking the inside, I also found out that the burglars had wrecked the safe and stole Dh18,000 in cash. The door’s damage also cost Dh2,500,” he said.

A police lieutenant, who questioned the Uzbek defendant, said the latter admitted to him that he was present with the Yemeni accused at 3am when they parked their vehicle in front of the Starbucks branch.

“He said that they used a screwdriver and crowbar to break the door and sneak into the shop … then they found the safe, broke it and stole money. However, he claimed that they only stole Dh8,000. The Yemeni defendant was apprehended shortly after the other defendant … he also admitted that they stole Dh8,000 and split the money before they absconded,” said the lieutenant.

Police found the screwdriver and the crowbar the defendants had used in the heist hidden in the car they had rented for that purpose.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.