Dubai: Three men have been jailed for 10 years each for jabbing a broken broomstick into the arm of a worker and killing him while they were attending a friend’s birthday party.
The three Nigerian men, aged between 24 and 26, were drinking and partying with other invitees in the villa compound of their countrywoman, who had invited them over to her birthday in May last year.
Things went uncontrollably wrong when the Nigerian victim, who lived in sharing in the same compound, went to the trio and asked them to reduce the music volume while partying in Hamdan area.
The victim and the trio got involved in a heated argument that developed into a fight during which the trio jabbed the broken broomstick into his arm and hit his head with a broken liquor bottle.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the Nigerian trio of murder and jailed them for 10 years each.
The presiding judge said the defendants will be deported following the completion of their punishments.
The three accused had pleaded denied the accusation of intentionally killing the victim. They contended before the court that they had quarrelled with the victim but they did not intend to kill him.
A friend of the victim testified that the incident happened when he was visiting the deceased as usual before the latter got into a fight outside his residence and died.
“There were people drinking alcohol and partying outside … the music was very loud and disturbing. He went out to ask them to reduce the volume and be less noisy. He quarrelled with them and when I went out to see what was happening, I spotted one of them jabbing the broomstick into his arm. I saw another one pounding his head with a liquor bottle. The defendants absconded instantly when the victim collapsed and bled profusely. We called the police and an ambulance arrived on the scene soon,” he said.
Nigerian witnesses, who happened to be present at the birthday party, also testified that the victim came out of his room and confronted the defendants before he was attacked.
A police lieutenant testified that the defendants were arrested separately.
“One defendant was apprehended immediately after the stabbing incident. Another one was arrested before he boarded a plane at the airport a few hours after the incident … and the third was arrested from his house in Sharjah. During questioning, each of them accused the other of killing the victim,” he said.
The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 13 days.