Dispute over two dinars ends in 15-year prison term after shopkeeper's death
Prosecutors said the victim was dragged 30 metres after demanding payment for goods
Dubai: A dispute over two dinars was enough to cost a grocery shopkeeper his life and send a Kuwaiti man to prison for 15 years, after an appeals court upheld his conviction over the fatal incident.
According to Al Jarida newspaper, the confrontation began when the shopkeeper in the Mutlaa area asked the defendant to pay for goods worth two dinars.
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Prosecutors said the man assaulted the victim, trapped his hand in the closed window of his vehicle and drove for about 30 metres, dragging him before releasing him. The shopkeeper fell to the ground and later died from his injuries.
The Public Prosecution had initially charged the defendant with intentional murder and robbery involving violence.
However, the Criminal Court reclassified the charge, finding that he assaulted the victim without intending to kill him, but that the injuries he inflicted caused the shopkeeper's death.
The Court of Appeal upheld the ruling, confirming a 15-year prison sentence with hard labour and immediate enforcement.
Investigators told the court that the defendant had a criminal record involving drug and theft offences.
Police said he had fitted his vehicle with stolen licence plates to conceal its identity and later changed its colour after the incident in an attempt to evade arrest.
