Man gets six months in jail for assaulting police officer in Dubai

Dubai: The Dubai Court of First Instance has sentenced an expat to six months behind bars for assaulting a policeman who questioned him for drinking coffee publicly in the daytime during Ramadan.

The court ordered that the 42-year-old Egyptian defendant be deported after serving his jail term.

According to official records, Dubai Police received a call in May 2020 from a residence at Palm Jumeirah, saying a 42-year-old Egyptian defendant was being offensive to cleaners.

An Emirati policeman testified that it was 10am when he arrived at the scene and was told the defendant was abusing cleaners and security guards. “I found him walking outside the residence with a cup of coffee in his hand,” said the 24-year-old Emirati policeman in official records. “My colleague and I asked him to come to the police station, but he ignored the request and offered me some coffee.”

Attack

The three men walked towards the police patrol that was parked in the basement but the defendant insisted on going up to his apartment. “I stopped him but he nearly headbutted me, then he choked me,” he said.

However, the man was restrained and taken away by the police. Dubai Public Prosecution charged the defendant with assaulting a police officer and drinking publicly during Ramadan.