Trio get jail and deportation for theft in Dubai

Dubai: Three men have been jailed for arming themselves with a hammer, screwdriver and lever and forcing their way into a businesswoman's flat and stealing cash and jewellery.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the Chinese men to three months in jail each after Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad found them guilty of theft.

When the three men, 31-year-old Y.C., 24-year-old K.L. and 50-year-old Z.W., appeared in courtroom four, they denied their charges and pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors accused the Chinese trio of breaking into the Chinese businesswoman's flat and stealing her Dh10,000 in cash, Chinese currency RMB 20,000 and other valuable jewelry.

Pronouncing Thursday's judgment, Presiding Judge Abdul Jawad said the defendants will be deported after the completion of their jail terms.

According to the arraignment sheet, the suspects stole three golden earrings, four necklaces, four rings and a purse worth Dh2,500.

Prosecutors charged the defendants of carrying out the theft along with a fourth suspect [the mastermind], who is still at large.

A Yemeni police sergeant testified that the accused were arrested last December for being involved in a series of thefts.

"K.L. confessed during questioning that he and his compatriots armed themselves with hard tools and broke into flats and stole cash and jewellery. He alleged that the runaway [Chinese] is the main culprit who masterminded all the robberies. K.L. claimed that the fugitive used to tell them about the right time and how to carry out the thefts. He alleged that they broke into the businesswoman's flat when she was away," claimed the sergeant in his statement.