Dubai court frees man who murdered German girlfriend

DUBAI // A man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death 15 years ago was granted an early release by the Dubai Criminal Court this morning.

Algerian NQ, 38, was convicted of the premeditated murder of German KK, who was then 24. He received a life sentence in December 1998.

He was also convicted of consensual sex and received an additional year in prison as well as one month for consuming alcohol.

The murder took place on July 19, 1997 about two months after NQ started a job at a bakery where KK worked.

Records stated that the killer and his victim started a relationship shortly after they began working together.

The bakery's employees shared a villa on Al Wasl Road provided by the owner. NQ said they would have sex in KK's room and had agreed to get married.

He said that about four days before the murder, KK stopped being intimate with him and started going out with a new employee at the bakery.

NQ said watching the two hugging made him very jealous.

On the day of the murder, he waited in KK's bedroom so he could speak to her.

She came home and they started talking about their relationship, but she was cold with him and said she wanted to sleep. He left the room, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and returned to stab her twice as she lay on her bed.

KK's colleagues discovered her body the next morning and called police.

During his trial, NQ denied premeditated murder and said he only wanted to hurt her, not kill her.

The court approved his early release for good behavior over the past 15 years but on the condition he serve the one year and one month jail terms her received for having an illicit affair and for consuming alcohol.

salamir@thenational.ae