Carpenter beats man to death for smashing his phone in Dubai

Dubai - A group of friends were searching for their Emirates ID using the phone's torchlight. This disturbed the man sleeping next to them.

A 28-year-old Indian carpenter allegedly battered to death a man with an iron bar after the latter smashed his mobile phone triggered by a row over using its flashlight, a court heard.

The accused denied a premeditated murder charge in the Court of First Instance. He claimed he did not mean to kill the victim.

The incident occurred on June 26 midnight and was reported to Jebel Ali police station the next day.

"We were informed around 7am about a murder in the Dubai Investment Park. We went to the crime scene and found it was a yard between two labour accommodations. The victim was found lying on his back - bleeding from his neck and covered with a blanket," a police lieutenant said.

"Through investigation, we learned that prior to the killing, the defendant was drunk with one of his friends and they were using a mobile phone's flashlight to search for the friend's Emirates ID. The victim - also under the influence of alcohol - was sleeping there in the dark. He asked them to keep the flashlight away from him but they wound not turn it off."

The victim got angry. He stood up and allegedly pushed the defendant, insulted him, snatched his mobile phone and then smashed it against a wall. The defendant's friend intervened and calmed them down, promising to repair the phone. The friend then left to the bus stop after asking the accused to leave the place too.

But the accused went to the place where trucks were parked and picked up an iron bar. He returned to where the victim was sleeping and beat him up with that bar all over his body.

He left the metal bar there and went to his accommodation. He came back shortly after to check on the victim but got scared when he saw a car with four men near the crime scene. The next day, he was told by his friend that the man had died.

The police tracked the defendant down through the CCTV and arrested him.

The police heard from witnesses and other workers at the labour accommodation that the defendant's friend had nothing to do with the crime. The friend told the officers that he had never imagined that the defendant would come back to attack the victim.

The forensic expert blamed the death mainly on the severe internal bleeding that was caused by the aggravated assault and cut in the neck. The victim also suffered serious bone fractures and bruises. The body remained at the crime scene between six and eight hours before it was discovered and examined.

The accused admitted he took the victim, who was then under the influence of alcohol, by surprise to make sure he would not try to stand up and protect himself.