Dubai: An argument between wives led to a civil engineer being jailed for six months for punching a manager in the face.
The incident happened in a restaurant in Palm Jumeirah in March where the Lebanese manager had gone for a meal with his family and housemaid.
The housemaid excused herself to go to the washroom, but returned quickly to say that a cleaner stopped her from entering.
The manager and his wife accompanied the maid to the washroom. As he was questioning the cleaner, another woman accosted his wife about him questioning the female cleaner. He asked her not to interfere.
After having a smoke outside the restaurant with a friend, the manager was walking back to his table when the woman’s husband, a 29-year-old British civil engineer, punched him suddenly. The manager fell unconscious.
On Tuesday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the British man of assault. Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal also ordered him to pay Dh21,000 in temporary compensation to the manager, who had also lodged a civil lawsuit claim.
The defendant will be deported after serving his punishment.
The victim testified that “while I was walking back to my table, he punched me suddenly … I regained consciousness on the restaurant’s floor and I had severe pain.”
Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
