Death sentence for man who killed friend then used his credit card upheld

DUBAI // A man who bludgeoned his friend to death, then went on a spending spree with his credit card, has had his death sentence upheld by an appeals court.

AH, 52, from Egypt, will face the firing squad if he loses the automatic appeal to the Court of Cassation.

He was found guilty on June 16 of premeditated murder, and was the fifth person this year sentenced to death in a Dubai court.

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance was told AH visited the victim at his flat in Al Baraha in March and got into an argument that ended with him hitting the man on the head with a bat.

AH's defence was that he went to the flat to chat, but the conversation turned ugly when the victim started insulting him and his family. He said the man slapped him, which further enraged him. He claimed he then beat the man and fled.

AH was also convicted of stealing the victim's car, mobile phone and wallet. The killer's Filipina girlfriend, who was not identified, told prosecutors he took her out to dinner and a movie the day after the incident.

AH bought jewellery costing Dh7,000 for her with the victim's credit card the same day. Security camera footage presented to the court showed him buying the items, apparently in an upbeat mood.

The victim's brother went to his flat after being unable to reach him for three days, and found the body in a pool of blood. AH was arrested six days after the attack.

The Dubai Court of Cassation has not yet set a date for a hearing.

amustafa@thenational.ae