One-year sentence in villa burglary

DUBAI // Three men who broke into a pilot's villa last year and stole nearly Dh60,000 in valuables were sentenced to a year in prison in a Dubai court this morning.

When MS, a 48-year-old French pilot, and his family returned to their villa on the evening of October 5, 2010, they found one of the bedrooms in a mess. MS told investigators the furniture was scattered and the drawers had been ripped open. He and his wife checked their belongings and found several valuable items missing.

MK, 38, from Senegal, and OS, 42, and ED, 34, both from Guinea, had broken the window of a bathroom on the first floor and sneaked into the two-storey villa, police found.

Police said the thieves climbed the villa's walls and used a screwdriver to force open the window.

The stolen items included three earrings worth Dh10,000, nine bracelets worth about Dh17,000, eight rings worth more than Dh20,000, Dh4,000 worth of necklaces, a wristwatch worth Dh4,000 and Dh1,000 in cash as well as a mobile phone, records show.

Police Capt AM testified that the three were arrested for several other burglaries and had confessed to this one. He said they told him that one of them rang the bell of a house and, if no one answered, the rest broke inside.

The men will be deported after serving their prison terms.

salamir@thenational.ae