Assault lands man in jail for six months

Dubai: A jobless man will spend six months in jail for hitting a person in the knee with a hammer, after the latter had foiled an attempted robbery of his mobile phone.

The Dubai Court of First Instance also found the 29-year-old Yemeni convict guilty of attempted robbery and impersonating police personnel. He will be deported after serving his punishment.

"The UAE is a peaceful place and it's safety doesn't deserve to be breached ... I am innocent and didn't commit any crime. I was drunk when I mistakenly entered the 50-year-old Filipino victim's flat ... I was heading to my friend's place," said the convict, A.A., while defending himself in court earlier.

The Public Prosecution charged A.A. with beating the 50-year-old Filipino supervisor, S.P., with a hammer on his knee, before attempting to steal his cell-phone.

He was also charged with impersonating police personnel.

The convict had earlier told the Presiding Judge, Saeed Salem Bin Sarm: "... although I apologised, he insisted on calling the police. I didn't steal his phone. I only took it away from his hand to prevent him from calling the police."

The victim, S.P., testified: "While returning from the washroom, I spotted the accused entering the room which I was sharing with my seven compatriots ... when I asked him who he was, he replied: 'I am a policeman.'"

When the supervisor tried to phone the police, A.A. hammered his knee and tried to snatch the mobile phone.

The police later arrested the accused, who was hiding behind a tree.