Dubai: A carpenter, who battered his roommate’s skull with a pan and stabbed him to death, will be examined by a special panel of psychiatrists to assess his sanity.

The 56-year-old Indian carpenter claimed before the Dubai Court of First Instance earlier that he was not aware of his actions when he woke up suddenly one evening, pounded his roommate’s head several times and then knifed him to death in his bed in December 2016.

The suspect had claimed that he didn’t intend to kill the victim whom he accused of poisoning his food several times prior to the murder.

Medical reports said the victim’s death was instant, his face was disfigured and the skull and facial bones were completely fractured due to the severity of the assault.

“The suspect will be referred to a special committee of psychiatrists to examine his sanity and decide whether he was responsible and aware of his actions at the time when the incident happened,” said presiding judge Urfan Omar on Monday.

The suspect was taken to hospital a few hours after the attack, according to records, and was treated for self-inflicted knife wounds in his belly.

The premeditated killing of the victim happened in a labour accommodation in Al Qouz.

Prosecutors said the suspect battered the deceased with a pan repeatedly on his head when he was sleeping and stabbed him with a knife twice.

When asked in court why he pounded the victim’s head with a pan and stabbed him with a knife, the suspect replied: “I do not know what happened to me. I was sleeping and woke up suddenly. I stabbed him but I did not intend to kill him … there was hostility between us. He and his friends previously tried to poison my meals several times.”

A police lieutenant testified that the victim’s face was beyond recognition due to the brutality of the attack.

“The suspect had been brought to hospital to treat some knife wounds that he inflicted on himself in a suicide bid a few hours after the crime. During questioning, the suspect admitted that he killed the victim due to previous disputes … he alleged that the deceased used to ridicule him and film him while sleeping and circulate the photos among their friends. The suspect also admitted that he had tried to kill himself with a knife that he purchased that day from a nearby supermarket,” the lieutenant told the prosecutors.

The carpenter was quoted as admitting to prosecutors that he had intended to kill the victim and had decided to commit the crime the night before.

The psychiatrists’ panel is expected to hand in its report on December 25.