Drunk man in Dubai kills friend with one punch, lands in court

Dubai - Both were drunk during the brawl.

An expat in Dubai was charged at the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday after he allegedly assaulted a compatriot to death.

The Dubai public prosecution accused the 36-year-old Mexican, a sales executive, of punching the victim, his longtime friend, in his head (behind his right ear), causing his death.

Both were drunk during the assault.

The defendant was detained after the incident was reported at Al Barsha police station.

A 33-year-old Mexican supervisor said that he worked for an aluminum company with others of the same nationality. They stayed at a hotel in the Dubai Investment Park. "Around 7pm on November 15 last year, I spotted the defendant behaving erratically. He could hardly stand. He was trying in vain to tell the receptionist something in our native language. He did not look sober at all."

The witness told the prosecutor that he understood from the accused that he had a fight with another man (the victim who was his longtime friend and shared the same room) and that they assaulted each other. "He told me that he only punched him once, knocking him down. He said the victim initiated the fight."

The supervisor then went to the defendant's room. "I saw the victim lying down on his face motionless. His face was bleeding and had a big black eye," he recounted.

A 23-year-old Mexican technician said that the two men had an argument over "who would work and do sports better". "I was sitting with them and tried to calm them down but they would not listen to me. They were both heavily intoxicated. The defendant accidentally poured his liquor glass on the victim's shirt after the latter hugged him. It made the victim angry and their argument got even worse. I left their room then and learned later about the assault."

Paramedics and the police arrived shortly later.

According to the forensic report, the cause of death was a severe internal haemorrhage. The bruises on the victim's face were caused by punching. He had been dead for a few hours before he was examined.

The defendant sustained a hand injury after he punched the victim.

He told the investigator he hit the victim only once, claiming he did not mean to kill him.

The trial will continue on January 27.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai