'Expat breaks fast in public in Ramadan, assaults Dubai cop'

Dubai - The case dates back to May 5 and was registered at Al Barsha police station.

A 42-year-old expat, who assaulted an on-duty police officer, has gone on trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance. The accused, an Egyptian, is also accused of breaking his fast in public during the holy month of Ramadan. He was spotted drinking coffee in public during the fasting hours.

According to the UAE Government's official website, it is prohibited to eat, drink and smoke in public during the fasting hours.

The case dates back to May 5 and was registered at Al Barsha police station.

A police officer said: "We were alerted about an incident at a residential complex in Palm Jumeirah at 10am. When we reached the scene, we found other police officers already there. We learned from them that the accused had been causing disturbance and assaulting security guards. A colleague and I approached the accused, who was then walking near a park while drinking coffee."

The officer told the prosecutor that the accused invited him to have coffee with him when he told him to go with them to the police station. "He ignored us. When we asked him again, he walked to his building. Inside the lift, he resisted being handcuffed when we told him to go to the basement so to take him inside the police car."

The officer recalled that the accused asked to go to his flat upstairs. "He pushed me, grabbed me by the neck with his hands and then fell on me. He kept pushing until we got outside the lift. My colleague took him away. Eventually, the accused calmed down and got inside the patrol car."

An Indian security supervisor, 36, said he was informed about someone assaulting cleaners on the beach at 10am on the incident day. "I went to talk to him, but he pushed me away. The police were then called."

The supervisor said he witnessed how the accused assaulted the police officers and yelled at them. "I saw him pushing them and causing one of them to fall down. The defendant would often cause trouble."

A CCTV footage, capturing the assault incident, has been attached to the case file.

The trial has been adjourned to October 27.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai