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Visitor Cleared of Attempted Fraud but Get Jail for Forgery, Assault

The Court of First Instance acquitted the British visitor, 25, of trying to sell a villa in Palm Jumeirah, belonging to a compatriot, also a British national.

In the arraignment sheet, the Public Prosecution said the defendant tried to sell a property belonging to others while not having a power of attorney to dispose it.

The court had sentenced the visitor to one year in prison for resisting and assaulting police officers and giving them a false name when confronted.

He was also found guilty of forging both the entry permit stamps and passport by using falsified data. He will be deported after serving his prison term, the court ordered.

In the case, the Jebel Ali cops who were on duty on June 17 were alerted about an attempted swindle. Two British nationals called the Jebel Ali Police Station and complained about a person who was trying to sell a villa, which was not his, for Dh16 million.

When the cops trapped the alleged fraudster, outside the villa they met with resistance and ended up with bruises and scratches.

“A British man called me up asking me to help him sell his villa in Palm Jumeirah for Dh16 million. I told him to send a passport copy and the real estate ownership documents” the complainant, a British real estate agent, told the police.

That man did send some documents by e-mail according to the agent’s statement. “When I showed those documents to some friends, who work in the real estate field, I was told the villa was owned by another British citizen,” the agent added.

He therefore contacted the villa’s real owner and warned him about what might happen. “The villa’s owner got very surprised to know about it. But he asked me to go along with the ‘fake owner’ so that the police could catch him,” the real estate agent claimed.

The witness knew that the defendant had the villa’s key and set a date to meet with him to see the villa for sale.

The police was informed about the timing and place of the meeting which was scheduled for 4pm that day.

“When I saw a person stepping off from a cab the complainant signalled to me that it was our wanted guy and we intervened,” said a police officer.

However, before they could show their cop cards the officers were assaulted by the man as he tried hastily to run away. “He punched me on my shoulder and right arm and pushed me to the ground. My colleague could grab him with the assistance of the complainants,” the officer added.

Before making him enter their car the police officers saw the British man throwing his passport towards a swimming pool. “My colleague had scratches in his arms because of the man’s struggle,” the police officer said.

mary@khaleejtimes.ae

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