Man stabs roommate in UAE in murder bid, gets 10 years in jail

Abu Dhabi - The court ordered the man to pay Dh100,000 to the victim in compensation.

A construction worker has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for stabbing his roommate several times in an attempt to kill him. He will be deported after serving his prison term.
The Abu Dhabi Cassation Court upheld earlier rulings by lower courts that handed the jail sentence to the Asian man after he was found guilty of attempted murder.
The judge also ordered the man to pay Dh100,000 to the victim in compensation for physical and psychological damages.
Official court documents stated that the Asian attacked his colleague at their accommodation located on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi city last year.
The two had an argument which resulted in a fight. The worker then got a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the victim several times in the stomach and other body parts. The other roommates, who were apparently outside the room, caught him as he tried to flee the scene.
The victim, who was in a critical condition, was rushed to the hospital where he spent weeks undergoing treatment. He has recovered now.
Police arrested the man. Prosecutors charged him with attempted murder of his colleague. The man admitted to attacking his colleague but denied trying to kill him. He stressed that he carried out the attack in a fit of rage and in self-defence.
Both the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance and the Appeal Court sentenced him to 10 years in jail and ordered him to pay Dh100,000 in damages to the victim.
He challenged the ruling in Abu Dhabi's top court, which rejected his appeal and maintained earlier verdicts based on the evidence presented by prosecutors.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi