Drunk man kills co-worker over lost mobile phone in Dubai

Dubai - He denied having meant to kill the victim, claiming he just wanted to scare him off.

An argument between two drunk workers over a lost mobile phone took a violent turn after one of them assaulted the other and unintentionally caused his death, the Dubai Court of First Instance has heard.
The 33-year-old Asian worker is now standing trial for causing the death of his fellow worker, also an Asian.
Public prosecution records show that the incident happened on December 13 last year when the defendant punched and kicked the victim repeatedly in the chest.
He denied having meant to kill the victim, claiming he just wanted to scare him off.
He said both were drunk at the time and that the victim was insulting him.
A 41-year-old Indian mechanic, who stands as a witness in the case, said during investigation that the victim was his friend and that he would often visit him in Al Quoz to hang out and drink alcohol together.
"I found him sitting in the back of a truck with the defendant and another Indian man. They were all drinking liquor. I went away for a while and when I came back, I could not find my mobile phone."
When the defendant told the witness that the victim took the phone, the latter denied having taken it and a fight then broke out between the two men. "I saw the defendant kicking the victim in the chest, knocking him down. We all left the victim behind shortly later."
The witness came back to check on the victim two days later and was surprised to find him dead. "The police summoned me for questioning and I told them what I had seen."
A police lieutenant said that they received a report about a man found dead in the trailer of a pickup truck in a parking lot in Al Quoz. "He was lying on his back. The owner of the truck said he did not know the victim or the defendant. He claimed he had parked his vehicle there few days back."
The lieutenant added that a witness then arrived and said he was the victim's friend. "He was crying and recounted how they were sitting together on the incident day and that defendant stomped on the victim's chest."
The police located and arrested the accused about two days later. "The accused claimed he assaulted the victim by punching and kicking him all over his body after the latter insulted him and his parents. He alleged he came to know that the victim had died only after the police apprehended him."
According to the forensic report, the victim was under the influence of alcohol when he received bruises and injuries in the chest, neck and head.
The defendant will be sentenced on July 27.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai