Woman accused of taking heroin

Abu Dhabi: An Emirati woman charged with illegally consuming heroin said that she might have overdosed on her prescribed medication to deal with the death of her sister, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance heard today.

Speaking before the court in handcuffs and a green jumpsuit, F.M. said that she had been receiving psychiatric treatment for 11 years and needs to proceed with it.

Her lawyer argued that F.M. had merely taken a higher dose of her prescribed medication than she normally would because her emotional state was unstable after the death of her sister. Upon seeing the defendant, her brother called the ambulance which then took her to the hospital where an excess amount of heroin was found in her urine.

The case was adjourned to April 18.

Another case involving a prostitution ring was postponed until April 20 to bring in the complainant and the arresting officer to testify.

The nine defendants include six Uzbek women and three Egyptian men, all of whom denied the charges of sexual exploitation.

In fact, all six women told the court that they are not and have never been married and are Muslims. One of the male defendants said that he was merely visiting his friend at the place where the arrests were made.

One of the defendants also claimed that he suffers from a heart condition and asked the judge to grant him bail to receive treatment, a request which the judge insisted should be asked of the Public Prosecution, not the court.