Dubai: A businessman, who killed a 12-year-old boy by repeatedly beating and torturing him, has had his 10-year imprisonment reduced to three years in jail on grounds of leniency.

The 37-year-old Nigerian businessman, Z.O., rushed the Nigerian schoolboy, who had been living with him, to a hospital in Al Ghusais where he was pronounced dead in April 2015.

Z.O. was believed to be the boy’s father before DNA results confirmed later that he was not the biological father.

In February, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed Z.O. for 10 years for beating the schoolboy with his hands and hard objects and intentionally killing him.

He had pleaded not guilty and denied his accusations.

Z.O. appealed the 10-year imprisonment and sought to prove his innocence before the Dubai Appeal Court where he denied any intent to kill the boy.

Citing grounds of leniency, presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm overturned the primary punishment and reduced the imprisonment to three years.

Dubai Police’s forensic examiner confirmed that the boy died of severe internal bleeding caused by a brutal blow to his stomach.

According to Wednesday’s ruling, the accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment.

A police lieutenant said eyewitnesses confirmed that the accused, whom they believed to be the boy’s father, had constantly beaten and tortured him.

“Neighbours and housemates said they had constantly seen the boy crying and weeping in pain whenever Z.O. beat him. A watchman spotted Z.O. punishing the boy by pushing his head under water in the building’s rooftop swimming pool,” testified the lieutenant.

The defendant had refuted all prosecution witnesses’ statements and contended that he used to discipline the boy to be obedient and good.

“During questioning, the defendant denied drowning the boy once and claimed that he was teaching him how to swim. Surveillance cameras clearly showed the defendant brutally beating the boy with a stick while taking him to the poolside. CCTV cameras also showed the boy walking with difficulty while leaving the poolside. The victim’s teacher claimed that she often saw bruises on the boy, who used to claim to her that the defendant constantly beat him at home,” said the lieutenant.

The boy’s schoolteacher testified that when she saw bruises on the boy’s body, the victim told her that the defendant beat him.

“The boy was constantly scared and always feared the defendant. Every time I spotted injuries or bruises on the boy’s body, the suspect would claim that he had an accident,” she said.

The forensic examiner confirmed that the boy was brutally beaten to death.

Wednesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.