Two held for assaulting petrol station employee in Al Ain

Al Ain Misdemeanour Court has convicted two defendants of assaulting a petrol station employee while he was performing his duties, following a dispute over cleaning a vehicle’s windscreen, reported the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on its social media.

The court ordered the defendants to perform two months’ community service at the same petrol station where the incident took place and fined each Dh50,000 for assaulting a public service employee and disturbing public order.

The case began with a report that the defendants assaulted the victim following a dispute over cleaning the windscreen of the first defendant’s vehicle. The driver asked him to clean the windscreen, but was told the station was busy and that he would have to wait. An argument followed and escalated into an assault, leaving him with pain and bruising documented in a medical report.

The court based its ruling on evidence in the case file, including surveillance camera footage showing the argument and assault, the defendants’ admissions in court, witness statements and the medical report.

In its ruling, the court said the conviction was based on provisions of the Crimes and Penalties Law, which criminalises assaulting or resisting a public employee or a person assigned to a public service by force or violence while performing, or because of, their duties.

The court stressed that Compliance with the law and using official channels when disputes arise is the best way to avoid legal accountability.