Dubai: A lawyer asked a court on Sunday to exempt him from the duty of defending an Emirati father, who is on death row for torturing his daughter Wudeema to death. His reasons are unclear.
The Dubai Appeal Court appointed the lawyer to defend the 30-year-old Emirati father, Hamad S., who was convicted in February of using merciless emotional and physical brutality, mistreatment and torturing eight-year-old Wudeema to death.
“I would like to ask the court to relieve me from the duty of being the convict’s legal representative and defend him,” the lawyer was heard telling courtroom 20 when he addressed presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif.
The reasons why the lawyer asked to be relieved from defending Hamad remains unclear.
However the lawyer provided presiding judge Al Sharif with a written plea in which he officially asked to be relieved.
“The court has accepted the request and will appoint a new lawyer to defend Hamad S. once it reconvenes on May 19,” said the judge.
In February, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced Hamad to death and handed his 28-year-old countrywoman girlfriend, Al Onoud A., life in jail.
The couple was convicted of torturing Wudeema’s seven-year-old sister, Meera, causing her 10 per cent permanent disability and burning her body parts.
The defendants pleaded not guilty and denied their accusations when they appeared before the appellate court.
Hamad argued that a movie director could use this case and trial details as a script and develop them into a great film.
The scenario described by the prosecutors was way beyond any imagination and, after the proceedings conclude, this whole case could be developed into a fiction movie, the 30-year-old father had said when he entered an innocent plea.
