Dubai: Two students were handed a three-month suspended imprisonment for tricking a deaf man and robbing his cash and mobile.
The duo, an 18-year-old Egyptian, A.M., and 20-year-old Sudanese, Z.Z., communicated with the Moroccan man in sign language and asked to borrow his phone in August.
Z.Z. took the phone while A.M. stayed with the Moroccan for a while and then they walked to a dark alley. Then they assaulted the man until he fell unconscious and stole his phone and cash.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted he defendants of using physical violence against the man and robbing him.
The convicts were handed a lenient punishment due to their age [under 21] and for having obtained a written waiver from the victim.
The duo exploited the Moroccan’s condition when they tricked him, according to records, and stole his mobile worth Dh3,300 and Dh500 from his wallet.
A.M. and Z.Z. had pleaded not guilty.
According to Thursday’s ruling, the two accused will be deported.
The Moroccan man testified that the incident happened outside a cafe at Al Riqqa around 2am.
“A.M. came to me and asked me for a cigarette. The latter realised that I was deaf. The other defendant came later and he also learnt that I was deaf. Then he communicated with me in sign language, I understood that he had forgotten his mobile at home and wanted to use mine. I stayed with A.M. for nearly an hour until Z.Z. returned and we all walked together until we reached the dark alley … that was where they assaulted me and one of them hit me on the back of my head. I lost consciousness for a while and fell to the ground. When I regained consciousness, I spotted them running away … they had stolen my phone and money,” he claimed.
Records said the man reported the matter to the police.
The defendants were cited as admitting to prosecutors that they sold the man’s mobile phone for Dh1,000 and shared the money.
Medical reports confirmed that the Moroccan sustained physical injuries.
The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
