Man denies charges of attempt to kill
says he stabbed co-worker in self defence
Dubai: A cleaner has denied the charge of attempting to kill his co-worker claiming that he defended himself when they had a scuffle at a clinic where they worked.
Prosecutors accused the 36-year-old Indian cleaner, R.B., of attempting to murder his 25-year-old Pakistani co-worker, M.A., with a knife after stabbing him twice.
"No sir I am not guilty. I did not have any intention or motive to kill him. What happened was an act of self defence," R.B. said as he defended himself before the Dubai Court yesterday.
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the cleaner deliberately stabbed M.A. with a knife when he tried to kill him. It was said that R.B. had hid den the knife in his pocket and stabbed the victim on his stomach.
It was swift medical intervention that helped save the victim's life. When asked by Presiding Judge Mohammad Jamal Kamel on what he wanted from the court, R.B. said: "When he hit me, I hit him back in self defence. When he came close to me, I hit [stabbed] him by mistake. I did not have any intention to kill him."
Waiver
The suspect further provided the court with a written waiver he obtained from M.A.
The co-worker testified that the suspect called him ‘a Pakistani thief and terrorist' before he attacked him with a series of punches and then stabbed him.
"One of the patients came for a visit. He couldn't pay the fees and so he left his labour card at the counter and came back later to pay. I left the labour card at the counter and went out for my lunch break, between 1pm and 4pm. When I returned, the card was not there. When the clinic's general practitioner came, he asked me about the patient's card. I told him that I left it at the counter before the break… he told me that I had to bear the responsibility and pay the patient to get a replacement labour card.
"I told the doctor that R.B. was present and cleaning at the clinic at the time when the card got lost. I also told him that our nurse witnessed that I had left the card at the counter before the break. Suddenly the defendant stormed into the doctor's room and called me bad names. Then he attacked me," M.A. said.
A verdict will be heard on March 27.
