Vendor jailed for assaulting policeman

Dubai: A vendor has been jailed for six months for assaulting a policeman and injuring his head during arrest for trying to steal a phone from a washroom at Dubai Mall.

A shopper forgot his mobile inside a washroom at Dubai Mall in August before he informed security guards about it.

The security guards called the police before on-site investigations exposed the involvement of the 31-year-old Filipino vendor who worked at the mall.

Police summoned the vendor outside the shop and took him to the parking lot, but when the policeman asked him to sit in the police car, he refused.

The defendant resisted arrest and pushed the policeman when he tried to make him sit in the patrol car.

The policeman fell down on the ground and the Filipino fell over him and caused him an injury in his head.

When he tried to flee from the scene, the policeman’s partner restrained him and put him in the police car after handcuffing him.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 31-year-old Filipino of assaulting the policeman and injuring him while resisting arrest.

According to the primary ruling, presiding judge Mohammad Jamal referred the defendant to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court where he will be tried for possessing a lost mobile with the intent of keeping it for himself.

The accused, who pleaded not guilty, will be deported.

The victim testified that he walked in to the outlet where the accused worked and introduced himself as a policeman.

“I asked the Filipino to escort me to the parking lot. When I asked him to sit in the police car, he refused and tried to run away. As I tried to restrain him, he assaulted me and pushed me. I sustained a head injury and my partner restrained him,” he said.

The ruling remains subject to appeal.