Man broke wrist in Dubai hotel fight

DUBAI // A fight between a group of men at the Metropolitan Hotel left one of them with a broken wrist, a court heard today.

NQ, a 31-year-old policeman, told the Dubai Criminal Court that on January 4 this year he responded to reports that a fight had broken out at the hotel. When he arrived he saw four young men involved in a scuffle and MZ, an Emirati, sitting by himself, injured and waiting for an ambulance. WE, a 28-year-old Emirati, then arrived with a man wearing a red shirt and the two of them then began to punch the already injured MZ.

"The assault by the two continued despite my efforts and that of hotel security to take them away from MZ who was bleeding," said the policeman.

Prosecutors said that MZ did nothing to defend himself from their blows.

WE, who is unemployed, denied a charge of assault leading to disability, claiming his actions were in self defence.

"The fight was between the victim and other men," he told the court. "I was trying to break them apart but [MZ] assaulted me so I had to defend myself and I pushed him away from me. That is all that happened your honour."

MZ, whose age was not mentioned, broke his wrist in the fight. A medical report referred to the injury as constituting a permanent, five per cent, disability.

The next hearing was scheduled for June 14.

salamir@thenational.ae