Gardener jailed over car crash on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah

DUBAI // A driver who hit a man on the Palm Jumeirah was today sentenced to two years in prison.

The pedestrian NJ was drinking water outside a villa when a car driven by RS, a 37-year-old gardener from Pakistan, ran into him.

"I woke up to find myself in hospital," said the pedestrian, who was left with what medical reports described as a permanent five per cent disability in his leg.

The car also crashed into the nearby villa, knocking into a tree and two light poles and causing Dh500 worth of damage. Its owner, an American engineer, was not at home at the time.

The gardener's boss, SH, 37, told him that he would lose his job as the villa owner had requested - and the gardener responded by insulting his boss's mother and assaulting him.

The gardener denied charges of reckless driving and assault at the Dubai Criminal Court, but a waiver he presented was dismissed as it was signed by someone other than the victims. He will be deported after completing the prison term.

salamir@thenational.ae