3 youths get life in jail for stabbing Emirati to death

Dubai - Dispute turns violent

A 20-year-old Emirati and his two friends - both Comoros Islands passport holders and aged 23 - have all been sentenced to life in prison by the Court of First Instance for the premeditated murder of an Emirati.
Prosecutors accuse two of them - who were then drunk - of stabbing the victim to death with stolen knives, and the other of scaring the victim's friends with a dog so they would not be able come to his rescue in Al Quoz.
The court referred two others (the brother and the friend of the main accused, both aged 28) to the Court of Misdemeanours for helping them evade justice.
The main defendant recounted to the public prosecution that he and his friend went to the victim's house after midnight on March 19, 2015. He said he had a dispute with the victim over a matter of family honour.
Outside the victim's house, when the third accused pulled a sword against him, he was stopped and taken away. The victim's mother came later and had a verbal brawl with the main defendant's mother. "The victim's mother slapped and insulted me even after I told her that the matter had been solved," the 20-year-old accused claimed.
Later, the victim took him to a dark spot where he asked him whether he insulted his mother. "I told him why would I do so, if I had no problem with him. But he pushed me," he claimed.
He admitted he stabbed the victim in the stomach, chest and back and was joined by his friend, who used his dog to scare away the victim's friends as they tried to come to his help.
"I drove to meet my brother in Hamdan area in Deira," said the main accused who claimed his brother and his friend helped them hide and bury the knives and burn the blood-stained clothes.
They tried to spend the night at the second defendant's house in Al Warqa. "We heard a strong banging on the door. It was my brother who came to inform me about the victim's death. The anti-narcotics police arrived and took us into custody." 
The victim's mother said that a relative woke her up around 2am to tell her that some men came outside her home carrying swords. "I went after my son and spoke to one of the defendants asking about their motive. Then, my son kissed my forehead and that of the mother of the third accused and asked me to leave."
She heard shortly later that her son was in hospital in the intensive care and that he died shortly afterwards.
The victim was stabbed seven times, including twice in the heart and one in the chest, as shown in the forensic report.
- mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai