Dubai: An employee, who stabbed his flatmate with a knife and caused him a permanent disability after the latter asked him to stop drinking liquor has been jailed for six months.
The 45-year-old Bangladeshi flatmate walked in to the flat that he shared with others and saw the 53-year-old Indian employee drinking alcohol in December.
When he asked the Indian to stop drinking in the flat, both of them got into a heated argument and the Bangladeshi man walked out at 9pm.
When he returned later and was in the corridor, the 53-year-old took him by surprise and stabbed him in his back.
The victim suffered a deep knife wound in his palm as he defended himself when the employee tried to stab him a second time in his belly.
Other flatmates intervened once they heard the 45-year-old shouting in pain and stopped the Indian from pursuing his knife attack.
The Bangladeshi victim was rushed to hospital even as police apprehended the Indian.
On Tuesday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of assaulting the 45-year-old victim with a knife and causing him a 25 per cent permanent disability.
The accused had pleaded not guilty when he showed up in court.
“It was a mutual assault … he attacked me first and I acted in self-defence,” he contended in court.
According to the primary judgement, presiding judge Mohammad Jamal said the accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment.
The victim told prosecutors that the accused stabbed him because he had asked him to stop drinking alcohol in the flat.
“He stabbed me in the back and when he tried to stab me in the front, I stopped him and injured my palm. Flatmates stopped him and I was taken to hospital,” he testified.
Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
