Three jailed for threatening Irish teacher’s family at knife point in Bur Dubai villa

Dubai: A gang of three expatriates was sentenced to three years in jail for breaking into a Dubai villa for robbery, before threatening the family with a knife and some bars.

A 58-year-old Irish teacher said on record that in August 2020, she was in the kitchen at her villa in Bur Dubai when a gang of three men raided the house and threatened her family at knife point.

The three Pakistani defendants will be deported after serving their jail term. They have been fined Dh1,300 each.

“A masked man stood in front of me. I was shocked and fell on the ground when I saw him carrying a knife. He asked for money and I told him not to harm me,” said the Irish victim on record. She then went outside the kitchen and opened her bag to hand over the money when her two daughters came from the second floor after hearing the commotion.

“I gave them [the robbers] a vase full of coins and they fled the house. They warned us not to call the police, but my daughter alerted Dubai Police,” she added. The 17-year-old Irish daughter of the woman testified that she had heard her mother yell while she was having her breakfast in the living room. She then went to the kitchen to check, when she saw a second masked man holding a bar.

“I asked him not to hurt me. He held my hand when my sister came from upstairs. She gave him Dh400 and my mother gave them the vase containing coins,” said the student on record.

Dubai Police arrived at the villa and saw the mother and her daughters crying.

After investigation, the three Pakistani defendants were traced and arrested in Sharjah. The first defendant admitted to planning the robbery with the other defendants. They bought masks and entered the villa through the main door and threatened the mother and her daughters. One of them threatened the mother with a knife while the other two restrained the sisters.

A fourth defendant, who was the villa’s gardener, is still at large.