Brothers jailed for alcohol-fuelled rampage that left man with disability

Dubai: Two brothers have been jailed four months each after a court convicted them of causing permanent disability to a man they assaulted under the influence of alcohol.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the brothers, J.D. (42), and M.D. (31), both Filipinos, to three months in jail and fined them Dh1,000 each for assaulting the Indian employee and causing him a ten-per-cent permanent disability.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir, who pronounced yesterday's sentence, also awarded them an additional month each for being intoxicated at the time of the incident.

The brothers pleaded guilty to assaulting the employee and confessed to consuming alcohol when they appeared in court earlier this month.

Reason not stated

Prosecutors accused the duo, who worked as blacksmiths, with consuming alcohol, assaulting the Indian employee and causing him a ten-per-cent permanent disability. They were additionally charged with assaulting two other victims. The arraignment sheet did not clarify the reason for the attack.

The 53-year-old victim testified: "I was standing in the building where I live when the brothers attacked me. They repeatedly beat me until I fell to the ground and they ran away… a pedestrian who saw what happened chased the defendants and stopped J.D."

He claimed that he identified the brothers at the police identification parade.

The suspects pleaded guilty to assaulting the employee and consuming alcohol but they denied the charge of assaulting the two other victims, V.D. and M.A. They also told Presiding Judge Mounir they were sorry for what had happened.

The primary verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days.