Inmate serving life for arson faces new charges

Dubai: An inmate serving a life-sentence for arson of Bur Dubai Police Station in 2001, was referred to court on Sunday, accused of deliberately setting a fire in Dubai Central Prison in September.

Prosecutors charged the 32-year-old Emirati inmate of arson in one of the Central Prison's cells and damaging its walls and floor.

Jail guards failed to bring in the inmate, S.I., to courtroom yesterday at the Dubai Court of First Instance where he was supposed to be prosecuted.

Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir adjourned the case until January 10 and ordered jail guards to present S.I. before the jury next month.

According to the arraignment sheet, the defendant set fire to his blanket using electric wires connected to a battery which generated heat. He was also charged with intentionally damaging property belonging to a government department (Dubai Police).

Prosecution records quoted the inmate admitting that he deliberately set fire in his cell because he wanted to be released from solitary confinement.

An Emirati jail warden testified that the incident happened during his shift at building 3 of the Central Prison: "The fire alarm broke out and I saw on the surveillance camera screens that there was fire in the 7th solitary confinement where S.I. was locked up. I rushed to cell and spotted fire gutting the blanket…. I ordered him to put out the fire. At first he refused and said ‘let me die'. I repeatedly ordered him to put out the fire until he put it out with water.

"When I asked him why he set his blanket on fire, he replied that he wanted to be removed from his solitary confinement to the ordinary cell," added the warden.

The defendant wanted to be removed to the cell where drug convicts were being detained, according to records.

"The fire wrecked the cell's wall and floor and they were blackened due to the smoke. Then I informed the prison's management…," said the warden.

Records said the blanket cost Dh75. The trial continues.

On April 9, 2003, the Dubai Court of First Instance found S.I. and five other inmates guilty of deliberate arson and destruction of the Bur Dubai Police Station in 2001. The six inmates were jailed for 25 years each.

The Court convicted S.I., and his three compatriots along with two others, who do not have identification documents, of arson and ordered them to jointly pay Dh209,000 against the damages.