Four stand trial over murder six years on

Four Asians who allegedly murdered a man six years ago appeared before the Sharjah Shariah Court on Wednesday. They were caught after a fifth suspect turned approver and spilled the beans to the police.

by

Amira Agarib

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Published: Thu 28 Mar 2013, 8:54 AM

Last updated: Fri 3 Apr 2015, 3:54 AM

The crime took place in 2007. Five Asian suspects allegedly killed the man before dumping his body in the desert.

One of the suspects said the men, who had been staying illegally in the country, had fought with the victim at the labour accommodation in Sharjah where they all resided. They allegedly beat him up with an iron rod and the following day the victim succumbed to his serious injuries and died. Upon discovering the dead man, the suspects dragged his body, during night hours, to a car and dumped his body at the Oman border, in a bid to cover up the murder.

They left the labour accommodation but had been hiding till one of them turned himself in to the police and told the officers about the crime. He was recognised as an approver and made a witness.

The four other suspects were arrested last month, six years after their disappearance.

Advocate Khalifa bin Hwaiden told Khaleej Times that the case would be controversial, as the body of the victim was never found and the murder weapon was never recovered. He also noted that although the first suspect in the crime confessed to the murder to the police and the Public Prosecution during interrogation, he later denied the accusations in court, claiming he was tortured, which was why he confessed.

Another suspect in the case insisted that they were not guilty, saying they neither confessed to or committed the crime.

Advocate Khalifa said that because there is no concrete evidence or a body to support the prosecution’s case, it is worthy to mention that similar cases having taken place in Dubai and have sparked a media frenzy.

In one such case, a British man, Mark Arnold, a manager in Dubai, was accused of killing his former girlfriend, Kerry Winter. In February 2011, the Dubai Cassation Court confirmed the life sentence against 45-year-old Arnold for premeditated murder. He allegedly beat Winter with a baseball bat, then put her body in a bag, tied it down with weights and dumped it into the sea. He was sentenced to a life term despite the body never being found. —

news@khaleejtimes.com


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