Threats to taxi driver earn six-month sentence

DUBAI // A carpenter who threatened a taxi driver with a knife over a high fare was sentenced to six months in prison by a Dubai court this morning.

SP, 46, from China, was convicted of threatening to commit a crime accompanied with an order.

He confessed before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance last week.

About 2am on January 27, SP got into a taxi on Bani Yas Road and ordered the driver to take him to the International City's Chinese cluster, records show.

SS, a Pakistani taxi driver, told prosectors that when they arrived, SP seemed clueless about the location of his own residence.

"I stopped the car when the meter got to Dh50," SS said.

SP wanted to go inside to get money, but SS told him he had to pay right away. At that point, SP lost his temper and threatened SS with a knife.

When SP got out of the taxi, SS called the police who came immediately and arrested SP.

salamir@thenational.ae