Dubai: Prosecutors lost their appeal against a visitor, who has been acquitted of stealing Dh3,300 from a man’s pocket and trying to snatch his wife’s bracelet outside Dubai Museum.
The Ethiopian visitor, V.K., had earlier denied the accusation of tripping the Indian man, who was carrying his daughter on his shoulders, and stealing cash from his pocket and then trying to snatch his wife’s bracelet in November 2015.
In August, the Dubai Court of First Instance cleared V.K. of robbing the Indian man and his wife due to lack of corroborated evidence.
Prosecutors appealed the man’s acquittal and sought to have him punished by the Dubai Appeal Court.
Presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif rejected prosecutors’ appeal and upheld V.K.’s innocence.
The Ethiopian denied the charges of having taken advantage of the fact that the father had his daughter on his shoulders and denied tripping him and stealing money from his pocket.
A police sergeant claimed to prosecutors that the incident happened at 7.35pm.
“We were informed about a robbery near the museum. We headed there and spotted a group of pedestrians who had restrained the suspect and prevented him from fleeing. The Indian father claimed that V.K. put his hand in his pocket and stole Dh3,300. Pedestrians chased and stopped the suspect and called the police. The suspect was accompanied by another person … we did not find the stolen money with the suspect when we searched him,” the sergeant claimed.
A police corporal claimed that the suspect attacked the Indian family after they walked out of the museum.
“The father claimed that when V.K. tripped him, he did not lose his balance and fall but he only put down his daughter and chased the suspect,” he testified.
The father was quoted as telling prosecutors that his wife shouted when the suspect tried to rob her and she pushed him.
The Ethiopian said all the claims that were brought against him were “unfounded and baseless allegations”.
The appellate court ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 27 days.
