Three jailed for attacking Emirati man with sword

Dubai: Three men have been jailed for attacking a man with a sword and slashing his shoulder in a scuffle.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the Emirati trio, 20-year-old M.K., 25-year-old M.M. and 22-year-old A.M., to three years in jail.

The fight broke out between the trio and another group of Emirati friends, including the 20-year-old victim, S.S., in a hotel in Deira.

Medical reports said S.S. incurred a 15 per cent permanent disability in his left shoulder.

The three accused pleaded not guilty and denied premeditated assault.

The Public Prosecution charged them with intentionally assaulting the victim with a one-and-a-half-metre long sword and knuckle dusters, and injuring his shoulder, arms, face and back.

"My friends stayed in a hotel in Deira. A heated argument erupted between the defendants and ourselves. It evolved into a fight. One of the accused asked us to sort out the matter outside the hotel. One of them used a sword which he had hidden under his clothes and stabbed me in the shoulder. I couldn't feel or see who beat me. My body became numb. My friends told me later that I was also attacked with knuckle dusters on my face and jaw and ended up with a broken tooth," S.S. testified.

Records said the trio ran away after the attack.

A 42-year-old Indian hotel attendant testified: "At first I saw the victim's two friends running into the hall before they ran up to hide in their room. One of the attackers stormed to the registration desk and forced me to return all the identification documents which we usually keep as record of our residents."

Stumbling

"He then left in a hurry. Later the victim, who was bleeding heavily, walked into the hall. He was stumbling and was naked. He was taken to his room and I reported the matter to the police."

An Emirati sailor testified: "One of the suspects threw cigarette butts and mixed nuts at the victim's friends. The scuffle erupted in the hallway before it evolved into the attack outside the hotel."