An inmate who tried to burn down the prison where he was being held because he was not provided with cigarettes and a takeaway will not have his jail term extended but will have to pay repair costs after Dubai Court of Appeal overturned his sentence.
Dubai Criminal Court convicted the man of issuing threats, starting a fire, causing Dh44,690 in damage and endangering the lives of other detainees, some of who suffered smoke inhalation.
The unemployed Emirati, 31, was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay the cost of damages.
Read more: Inmate 'tried to burn prison down because he was not given cigarettes'
Prosecutors said the lives of fellow prisoners were at risk during the incident at Rashidiyah Police Station's cell block.
The man started the fire after his demands for guards to provide him with cigarettes and order him in food from outside were not met.
"He kept demanding food and cigarettes and threatening us that he would burn the place down, and on the day of the fire he had demanded cigarettes too," a police lieutenant, 30, said.
He was first alerted to a fire in the dining hall at around 4pm. He went to check and saw flames the fire had engulfed the area.
He checked CCTV and saw the suspect had used newspaper and paste to cover the lenses.
"We discovered that he used strips of his bed mattress to start the fire," said the lieutenant.
A report from General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology said the fire was most likely started with a lighter, though it was never found.
The incident took place in April 2014, but records did not disclose why the man was in jail or why the case took three years to reach court.
