Three years in jail for men who killed worker during brawl in UAE

Abu Dhabi - The men will be deported from the UAE after serving their jail terms.

Six men, who were convicted of beating a worker to death during a brawl, have been sentenced to three years in jail after the victim's family pardoned them in return for blood money.
The Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation upheld an earlier ruling by the appeal court, which found the Asian men, including Indians and Pakistanis, guilty of murder. The judge also ordered them to jointly pay blood money of Dh200,000 to the victim's family.
According to court records, the men hit the worker with wooden sticks during a brawl after drinking alcohol near their accommodation in Musaffah area a few years ago. They also kicked the Asian man so badly until he died.
Prosecutors said the conflict resulted from drinking and the sale of liquor among the workers near their accommodation camp.
Officers earlier said in the court that the Asian victim had allegedly gathered a group of people in order to take over an area that was under the domination of another bootlegging group. And this led to a fight between the two groups.
Prosecutors had charged the workers with premeditated murder. They all denied the charges during the trial. The accused told the court during previous hearings that they were not around when the murder took place.
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance had earlier sentenced them to 10 years each in jail.
The jail term was later reduced to three years on appeal. The judge decided to reduce the charge against the defendants from premeditated murder to assault that led to death after the victim's relatives pardoned the killers in return for blood money.
The men will be deported from the UAE after serving their jail terms.

• Abu Dhabi