Nine suspects charged with premeditated murder

Dubai: Nine Vietnamese men have been charged with the premeditated murder of an Indian man and with attempting to kill his compatriot, after they went to International City to have sex at a brothel.

Prosecutors accused the nine defendants, aged between 20 and 24 years, with arming themselves with knives which they allegedly used to kill J.S. The suspects were also charged with attempting to kill a 27-year-old Indian driver, D.S.

The defendants, who appeared in the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday, failed to admit or deny their charges due to the absence of a Vietnamese language translator.

Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout adjourned the case until October 10, so a translator could be made available.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the suspects were armed with knives when they stabbed J.S. at the same time in different parts of his body.

Quarrel

The nine suspect were also charged with running a brothel, and with the attempted murder of D.S. using the same knives they used to stab J.S.

Prosecution records said the suspects allegedly quarrelled with the victim and stabbed him, after having sex with one of the prostitutes in a flat in the Chinese Section of International City.

A Dubai police forensic doctor said the victim succumbed to knife cuts in his legs, thighs and arms.

D.S. testified in his prosecution statement that he went to the flat with J.S. and two of their workmates, for pleasure.

"We heard J.S. quarrelling with the prostitute behind one of the partitions ... two of the suspects [who were in the flat then] pulled him out and asked him to leave. We prevented them," D.S. said. "A few minutes later, all the defendants arrived at the flat armed with knives and assaulted us ... J.S. and I were injured in the fight. He died and [his body] was rushed to hospital," D.S. said.

A first lieutenant testified that preliminary investigations led to the arrest of the nine suspects.

The first lieutenant claimed in his prosecution statement: "They all confessed that they assaulted the Indian victims ... the flat was subleased to an Indian suspect, named Darham, who is at large.