UAE: Man suffering from mental illness cleared of murder charges

Court has ordered him to pay Dh200,000 as blood money to the victim's family

by

Ismail Sebugwaawo

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Published: Mon 16 Jan 2023, 7:12 AM

Last updated: Mon 16 Jan 2023, 7:19 AM

A worker who had been accused of stabbing a woman to death and attempting to kill another man in Al Ain, has been acquitted.

The Al Ain Criminal Court of First Instance cleared the Asian man of the charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder. This decision was taken after it was confirmed that he suffered from mental or psychological problems and depression, and wasn’t aware of his actions.


The court also ordered the man to pay blood money of Dh200,000 to the woman’s family.

Official court documents stated that the man in his thirties, stabbed the woman with a kitchen knife on different parts of her body, including the neck and the chest and killed her. The incident took place in a certain area of Al Ain last year.


After murdering the Arab woman, the Asian went on to attack another man in the same place. The man survived.

The accused the attempted to commit suicide by stabbing himself with a knife, causing serious wounds. He was, however, caught and apprehended by the police. He was found using psychotropic substances.

During the interrogations, the man admitted to killing the woman and attempting to murder another resident.

Prosecutors had charged the Asian with premeditated murder of the woman and attempting to murder another man.

During hearings of the court, the defendant’s attorney argued that the man suffered from a mental illness and depression and was not in his senses when he committed the crimes. The lawyer said the Asian had bought the knife to kill himself but he turned out to attack the woman and another man without thinking of the repercussions.

He said there were no previous disputes with the victims.

The lawyer requested the court to acquit the Asian of the murder and attempted murder charges as he wasn’t aware of his actions.

The psychiatry report, issued by a government hospital in Al Ain said that the accused was presented to the medical committee which recommended that he needed to be taken to the Department of Behavioural and Psychological Sciences in the hospital for treatment of psychotic symptoms in the form of auditory hallucinations, which led to disturbed behaviour on the day of the incident.

The psychiatrist’s report also confirmed that the Asian suffered from mental or psychological problems and depression and wasn’t aware of his words and actions at the time of the murder.

After hearing from all parties, the judge acquitted the Asian of premeditated murder of the woman and attempted murder. The man was however ordered to pay blood money of Dh200,000 to the woman’s family.

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