New year's revel lands tourist in prison

DUBAI // A 27-year-old American tourist who came to Dubai to celebrate new year’s eve will spend six months in prison after a court found him guilty of assaulting a police officer.

F A had been drinking alcohol before the incident, the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours ruled on Sunday. He was fined Dh1,000 for consuming liquor.

He denied the charges in a previous court appearance in March and claimed police had assaulted him.

Prosecutors said F A threw a punch at one officer, AH, as he was being taken into custody.

Police received a report on December 31 about a drunken man creating a disturbance near the Address Hotel in Dubai Mall.

Three officers responded and found F A kicking parked vehicles and harassing revellers. Three men were fighting with F A, trying to stop him from causing damage.

A H told the court that he and two colleagues caught F A, who resisted and then kicked at the interior of the police car. When A H climbed into the vehicle to calm him down, F A hit him in the face.

A forensics report confirmed that F A suffered multiple injuries to his arms, chest, back, head, neck and face. The report said there were multiple bruises on his body and a bite on his left hand.

The judge asked the officers why they failed to question the men they claimed were assaulting F A. Police did not give a reason, but insisted F A was already injured when they arrested him.

salamir@thenational.ae