Man jailed for 15 years for killing workmate

Dubai: A labourer was on Tuesday jailed for 15 years for killing his workmate over a financial dispute.

The Dubai Court of First Instance found 34-year-old A.K. guilty of premeditated murder after he crushed the skull of his workmate using a concrete block as he slept at a construction site.

The Bangladeshi labourer will be deported after the completion of his term.

The presiding judge also ordered that the block, measuring 20 centimetres in length, be confiscated.

The accused had pleaded guilty to killing his compatriot, A.I., over an unpaid debt, when he appeared in court.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said A.K., blinded by anger and hatred, killed A.I. after attempts to resolve a row over money owed to the former by the latter failed.

A.K.'s attempt to flee the country after the horrendous deed was foiled when he was arrested in Abu Dhabi en route to Oman.

Confession

"Primary interrogations revealed that A.K. was involved in the incident. During questioning, he admitted that he picked the block from behind A.I. and killed him," an Emirati lieutenant said.

"Then he put the block back in its place and hid in a nearby mosque. He claimed that the next morning he went by public bus to Abu Dhabi, from where he claimed that he wanted to go to Oman," the lieutenant added.

A.K.'s court-appointed lawyer asked the court for leniency and drew the court's attention to the fact that his client had pleaded guilty to the crime.

Yesterday's judgment remains subject to appeal within 15 days.