Dubai: Prosecutors lost their appeal against a visitor after a court confirmed his three-month imprisonment for deliberately starting a fire at Dubai Bowling Centre and wrecking the fitness hall after he was not hired.
In May, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the 27-year-old Egyptian visitor, M.M., to three months for storming into the Bowling Centre, intentionally starting the fire and destroying different parts of the gym in February.
Prosecutors appealed the three-month imprisonment before the Appeal Court seeking to have his punishment stiffened.
The accused had pleaded guilty and admitted that he started the fire and damaged the bowling centre.
Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm rejected prosecutors’ appeal and upheld the three-month in jail.
The decision to deport the defendant was also confirmed.
Records said M.M. used a lighter to start the fire and used knuckle-dusters to destroy mirrors, chairs, doors, tables, the washroom, TV screens, a laptop and other devices, causing damage worth Dh156,000.
The Bowling Centre’s Indian security guard said he spotted the defendant damaging the gymnasium at 2am.
“I saw him when he was in the weightlifting hall destroying chairs and screens and other stuff. He also drenched the chairs with a flammable material and used a lighter to start a fire … when I failed to stop him, I called the police,” he testified.
“Part of the place was still on fire when we entered the gymnasium and apprehended M.M. He wore knuckle-dusters. The fire was put out. Upon questioning the suspect, he claimed that he came to Dubai on a visit visa and had worked for a while at the gymnasium. When his supervisor at the sporting hall refused to amend his visa status, according to M.M.’s allegations, and issue a work visa for him to work regularly, he decided to destroy the gym. He claimed that he was forced to pay his fines after he flouted the visa rules,” a police corporal testified.
The appellate court ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 25 days.
