Dubai: 2 brothers jailed for partially blinding student in fight over video game

Dubai - The victim was beaten up at a school's parking lot.

Two Arab brothers were sentenced to six months in jail after leaving a 20-year-old student partially blind in a fight over the video game Call of Duty.

The student, who is also an Arab, was beaten up after winning the game. The Dubai Court of First Instance earlier sentenced the duo to a year in prison for assaulting the youth and leaving him with a 35 per cent disability. The appellate court slashed the jail term to six months.

The victim said he was playing Call of Duty with a friend but when he won the game, the other player got upset and insulted him over the phone, according to police investigations. He didn’t respond and simply hung up.

After three days, the student received another call from his friend’s brother, insisting that they meet up to settle the dispute, but the victim refused.

Another brother, the second defendant, called him up, spoke to him in a friendlier manner, and requested that they clear the problem face-to-face. He eventually agreed to see him.

The Arab youths decided to meet up at a school’s parking lot in Al Mazhar area. The victim arrived with two of his friends and told the brothers to stop calling him.

All of a sudden, several cars — carrying about 20 people — entered the parking lot, court records show.

The two defendants — along with another person who still on the run — came up to the victim and beat him up. One of them hit his right eye with a sharp tool, causing him to fall on the ground. He was rushed to a hospital and a complaint was filed at Al Qusais Police Station.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai