• Home

‘Sharjah slasher’ says not guilty of charges

SHARJAH — Jude Pereira, the 28-year-old Sri Lankan accused of being the ‘Sharjah Slasher’, gave a new twist to the case when he claimed he was innocent in the court. He pleaded not guilty in the presence of his lawyer, Abdul Kareem Ahmad bin Eid of Busit of Al Rokn and Associates. Pereira was arrested by the police on March 14, bringing to an end weeks of tension and panic among Sharjah residents who were terrified by the series of slashing incidents that took place in February. He confessed to the police that he was involved in the incidents, and even claimed that he was not in a stable frame of mind.

Pereira faces four criminal charges including physical assault and sexual harassment.

Abdul Kareem told Khaleej Times yesterday that Pereira had pleaded not guilty in the court of law. The Sri Lankan informed the court that he confessed to the police and the Public Prosecution as he was terrified after being arrested on March 14.

The arrest followed intensification of patrolling by police at Al Majaz area where the stabbing incidents were reported from. In the course of patrolling, one team saw Pereira running between buildings on King Fisal road.

He confessed to the police that he had stabbed the women using a craft knife. When the police raided Pereira’s residence, they found three craft knives in a tin, of which he had used two. Police also found a menu of Al Farouj restaurant, which according to a Bangladeshi witness, was in Pereira possession when he attacked one of the victims.

The lawyer said Pereira was facing four criminal cases of two charges including physical assault and sexual harassment. Accordingly, the Public Prosecution demanded that Pereira be tried under Articles 339/1 and 356/2 of the Criminal Law. The Sharjah Sharia Court summoned three judges to try Pereira.

The first hearing was held on June 13 followed by a second hearing on June 20. The court hearings were postponed in the absence of any lawyer to defend Pereira. On June 29, Abdul Kareem took up the case and said the court had fixed the next hearing for July 16, when he would produce one of the witnesses.

He said nobody was allowed to visit Pereira in jail, but his family can visit him after obtaining permission from General Prosecution

The UAE judicial system, Abdul Kareem said, had given Pereira all judicial guarantees to defend himself. When the accused was arrested, he was referred to Al Amal Hospital to determine his mental and psychological fitness, and the results proved he was mentally sound. In the court, the accused was given the right to find himself a lawyer after two courting hearings were postponed.

The alleged slasher came on visit visa to UAE on January 20 this year, and was offered a job as computer programmer at Arabian Link Tours, which was processing his residence visa before he was arrested for attacking four women between February 12 and 17.

According to police, the first slashing incident was reported in February 12, when Samah Sabah Ahmad, a 21-year-old Iraqi woman was stabbed at midnight on Buhairah Corniche road. Samah and her mother were returning home after withdrawing cash from an ATM machine.

The second incident involved Rajoun Tang, a 19-year-old Chinese woman, who was assaulted on February 14 while she was leaving her office at 3 am, again in Buhairah Corniche road.

The third and fourth incidents occured on February 17, when Haifa Fuad, 27, a Jordanian was stabbed at 11.45pm on King Faisal road. The same day, Iqbal Tamimi, 44, a Syrian, was stabbed on her back at 2am while she was entering her building on Al Mina road.

• UAE