Emirati student steals dogs and burns cage, gets jail

The villa's gate was also forcibly opened, and the dogs were missing.

An Emirati student has been sentenced to six months in jail for stealing two dogs worth about Dh44,000 after sneaking into the backyard of their owner's villa at night.

The 23-year-old student has also been accused of arson in the Court of First Instance for setting the dogs' cage on fire. He earlier pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Prosecution records show the incident happened around midnight on September 6, 2015 in Al Muhaisna, Al Qusais.

The owner's brother, a 24-year-old Emirati employee, said in the prosecution investigation that his neighbour had called him that night.

"He told me that he saw a 4WD car passing behind our villa suspiciously. My younger brother was keeping two dogs in a cage in the backyard. They are worth about Dh 44,000."

When the man went to check on the dogs he saw their cage on fire and the dogs were not there. The villa's gate was also forcibly opened.

He knew from his neighbor's description of the car the suspect who did it.

He went to his place and talked to the defendant's father after reporting the matter to the police.

The brother went with the police to the farm belonging to the defendant's father and recovered the dogs after the defendant apologized to him.

The neighbour, a Yemeni student, 20, said that he heard the defendant confessing that he took the dogs and that he would give them back. He then followed the police with the complainant to the farm in al Khawaneej where he kept the animals.

A police corporal said the defendant admitted to having used the car of a friend to enter the complainant's villa and steal the dogs. But the student denied to him having set the cage on fire with an inflammable substance.

The ruling remains subject to appeal.

mary@khaleejtimes.com