A 36-year-old Indian cook was sentenced to death by the Dubai Criminal Court yesterday after it found him guilty of killing a prostitute in a dispute over Dh100.

The convict, AB, had made a deal with the victim, SY, to have sex twice for Dh200, but after the first time she felt tired and refused to continue, the court heard. He asked her to return Dh100 but she refused and he strangled her to death. He also stole her mobile phone and Dh310.

Among other verdicts yesterday, the court sentenced four Bangladeshis to 10 years each for operating a human trafficking gang and forcing two housemaids to work as prostitutes. The court also ordered the closure of the flat where the illegal activity used to take place.

The four are NA, 31, and AG, MS and MJ, all 30.

The court heard they had convinced two Indonesian maids to leave their sponsors and work with them at a higher salary. Then the maids were forced to work as prostitutes.

In another case, an Egyptian farmer was sentenced to three months for shooting indecent videos of four women with his mobile phone camera in a city supermarket.

The court acquitted MI, 34, UAE national, who was charged with molesting a patient while she was in a coma in a hospital. He claimed to be her relative. A nurse had said she saw him kiss the woman but the court said the charge could not be proved and it did not count the nurse's written statement as testimony.

In other cases of theft and forgery, the court convicted six defendants for embezzling Dh27 million from a money exchange shop owner. KS, 53, Pakistani, EF, 27, Lebanese and TI, 25, Egyptian, were each given three years. MA, 25, Emirati, was given one year while NA, 35, also Emirati, was sentenced to five years. Another Emirati, HY, 23, received three years.

The group had told the exchange's owner, MS, that they needed to change half a million euros into UAE dirhams. They owner went to the place where the exchange was supposed to happen and the defendants seized the money he had brought with him, threatening him with a weapon.

The court sentenced CR, Filipina, to three months for stealing her friend's credit card and using it to buy Dh3,500 worth of goods.

A Yemeni, MM, 31, also received three months for forging a sales contract of a car to obtain a registration card with the use of the fake document.

An Indian driver, JG, 29, was given three months for renting a car by using a fake passport.