Dubai An electrician has been accused of getting drunk and attempting to murder his new roommate and assaulting another, as he was angered by his employer’s decision to force them to share a room.
The 49-year-old Indian electrician, J.M., was said to have stabbed a 30-year-old worker, S.M., with a fruit knife in his belly and assaulted a 23-year-old co-worker, J.S., in his thigh and absconded in July.
Prosecutors charged J.M. with a bid to murder, assault and consuming alcohol.
The suspect admitted that he consumed liquor when he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday.
“Sir, I was too drunk and did not intend to try to kill the victim. I did not realise what I was doing … I entered the room and we had a heated argument and then a fight,” argued J.M. as he denied the murder bid and assault charges before presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi.
According to the charge sheet, the electrician tried to kill S.M. and assaulted J.S.
Swift medical intervention helped save the life of the 30-year-old worker, who was rushed to hospital instantly.
“Did you stab him with the knife and intend to kill him?” presiding judge Al Shamsi asked the suspect.
“No sir, I did not intend to kill him … actually I did not [intend to do] what I did. I have already reconciled with the claimant,” replied J.M.
S.M. testified to prosecutors that the incident happened shortly after their employer moved them in to share the same room with the defendant at the labour accommodation.
“The minute he walked into the room, he seemed angry and too drunk. We had a heated argument once we started discussing the issue of sharing the room. Colleagues stopped us the first time from fighting … then we had another argument and the suspect stabbed me in my belly. When J.S. tried to intervene, J.M. stabbed him in the thigh. The defendant ran away from the room and our co-workers called the police and an ambulance,” he claimed.
J.S. confirmed S.M.’s statement before prosecutors.
The ruling is on on December 9.
