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Businessman pleads not guilty to planned murder

DUBAI — A 26-year-old national businessman, on Thursday, pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder as well as attempted murder.

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The businessman, currently under detention, is standing trial in the Dubai Court of First Instance for causing the death of a British woman by running his vehicle over her on May 30 this year, in the Rashidiya area.

According to court records, the woman, who had just stepped off a cab along with her husband and a male companion, was hit by the vehicle driven by the defendant. The woman's husband and the male companion suffered injuries.

The fourth occupant of the taxi escaped unhurt as she had not alighted from the taxi.

As a prosecution witness, the Australian companion of the British woman, who was injured in the incident, said, "On the night of the incident, we had gone to the Millennium Hotel for dinner. It was around midnight when we came out and hailed a cab. We were four persons — a married couple, a woman and me."

"We told the driver to take us to the Aviation Club in Garhoud. I sat in the front seat while the others took the rear seat. Shortly afterwards, the driver realised that he had taken the wrong route. So we asked him to stop and drop us there itself. The driver pressed the flasher on and parked by the roadside.

"While some of us were alighting from the taxi, the driver of a vehicle to the left of our cab was honking continuously. Later, the driver of the car lowered the window shield and shouted at us."

The witness added that he signalled to the motorist to have patience, but the motorist rammed his vehicle into the taxi's rear.

"In an apparent rage, the motorist drove over the sidewalk and ran over the British couple. He ran his vehicle over the woman back and forth, but only once over her husband," the witness pointed out. In the next hearing, the court is expected to hear the testimony of other witnesses.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

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