DUBAI // Five men who beat to death a man a month before his wedding have been sentenced to life in prison.
The Emiratis repeatedly stabbed their 25-year-old compatriot with a knife and sword and hit him on the head with a shovel and a rock in a 30-minute attack on March 16 last year in Al Warqaa.
Dubai Criminal Court convicted the defendants, aged between 20 and 33, of premeditated murder and with burning three other Emiratis by throwing acid on them.
In court last April they denied premeditated murder and physical assault charges. “It is not true,” the five said told judges.
They were arrested shortly after the victim arrived at hospital.
“I am certain that they had been high on some drug, because I have never seen a brutal attack like this one. They kept on stabbing and hitting him for nearly half an hour,” said the victim’s friend who suffered burns after being hit on the head with a bottle of acid.
The friend said a fight started when one of the defendants insulted the victim.
“Four of them then chased him and one stabbed him in the back as he ran, he fell to the ground, then one started stabbing him with a knife, another with a sword, they hit him repeatedly with a shovel while striking him on the head with a rock. This lasted for about half an hour,” said the friend.
When the defendants left, the friend carried the victim to his car and drove him to hospital, but he died on the way. “Before he died, he smiled and told me that he knew he is going to die,” said the 25-year-old.
Two other friends of the victim who suffered severe acid burns were admitted to the ICU at Rashid hospital.
The victim’s father said his son had just returned from visiting his future bride, who he was due to marry in May, when the killers asked to meet in order to reconcile an old dispute.
An Emirati policeman said that a woman living close to the scene of the murder alerted police. “She told us she heard terrible screams but was too scared to see what was happening,” said the officer, adding that a blood trail covered nearly 100 metres of road.
salamir@thenational.ae
