Hummer driver gets 10 years for murder

Hani M Bathish and Tom Spender

• Last Updated: November 28. 2008 8:30AM UAE / November 28. 2008 4:30AM GMT

DUBAI // A young Emirati businessman was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday for killing a Scottish woman with his Hummer.

The court confiscated the four-tonne vehicle he used to drive into Kate Wood and then drive over her twice more.

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance ruled that on May 30, AA, 22, drove into Mrs Wood, 52, in a fit of anger at being blocked behind a taxi that she and her friends were leaving.

AA, who was in court to hear the verdict, was impassive as the sentence was read out by Judge Abdelmajid al Nizami.

While convicting him of murder, the judge ruled out any element of premeditation in the killing. If AA had been found guilty of premeditated murder, he could have been sentenced to life in prison.

“It was clear that the defendant was acting in a moment of anger and loss of control and thus the court rules out the presence of any element of premeditation,” Judge Nizami said.

“Premeditation requires a calm and calculating demeanour, and that was not the defendant’s state of mind at the time of committing the crime. But he should have been aware that his actions would result in the victim’s death.”

Prosecution and defence lawyers have 15 days to appeal against the ruling.

Mrs Wood’s husband Jeffrey called the sentence “lenient” and said he was unhappy with it. He said after yesterday’s hearing that he would meet his lawyers on Sunday to discuss appealing for a longer jail term or filing a civil lawsuit against AA.

“I’m not happy with what happened and I don’t believe the sentence he got was right,” he said. “He should have got a lot more. It is a very disappointing ruling, I was hoping for a harsher penalty. I thought Dubai law was better than this.

“This man got 10 years for taking someone’s life. Who would think that was right? My wife was just in her prime. She has left grandchildren as well as her own children. They are all going to suffer for the rest of their lives.”

Mr Wood, a project manager with the British oil-rig repair company Lamprell, moved to Dubai with his wife and the youngest of their three sons in 2006. On May 30, they were out with another couple, Danielle and Brendan Hunter, to celebrate Mrs Wood’s birthday and had been to a restaurant before taking a taxi to the Dubai Aviation Club.

They were getting out of the taxi when an argument broke out between AA and one of the group. Mrs Wood’s friend Brendan Hunter told the court that he asked AA to wait while they got out of the taxi.

“He was angry and yelling in Arabic and flashing his high beams,” Mr Hunter told the court in September.

Defence lawyers said AA was provoked by a rude gesture from one of the group. He accelerated his Hummer vehicle at the group, sending Mr Wood flying about two metres, knocked Mr Hunter against a fence and then driving over Mrs Wood.

He then reversed over Mrs Wood and drove forward over her again before speeding off. One of the group noted his registration number.

Mrs Wood’s death was initially referred to Dubai Traffic Court as a traffic accident, but prosecutors reclassified the case and referred it to the criminal court.

Defence lawyers argued that AA meant only to scare Mrs Wood.

hbathish@thenational.ae