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29 March 2024

Emiratis jailed for assaulting pregnant woman

Published
By Eman Al Baik

Three Emiratis who physically assaulted and threatened a man and his pregnant wife over a table in a restaurant were sentenced to one month in jail and ordered to pay a total fine of Dh12,000 by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance.

AAA, 52, businessman, MAA, 33, employee, and IAA, 43, employee, were also charged with causing jaw injuries to a woman that led to five per cent permanent disability and were ordered to pay a fine of Dh10,000 collectively. AAA alone was charged with threatening the couple and a Syrian witness and was ordered to pay Dh2,000.

On June 13, 2009, Ali Kitabi and his wife Bahara Behzadi, both Canadians, visited a restaurant in Festival City at 1.30 pm. The couple sat at a table that had 12 seats. There were three children sitting on the other side of the table. While the couple was having lunch, an Emirati approached them and said that the table had been booked and asked them to move. Ali told him: “When we finish lunch we will move.”

When Ali did not yield, the man punched him on his head, in the back and the two other accused joined in beating the victim who fell on the ground. The men continued to kick him until the security staff intervened, the court heard.

Ali saw that his pregnant wife was also on the ground bleeding and rushed her to the hospital, he testified. Bahara testified that she told the man she is pregnant and cannot move to another table. When she stood up to stop the men beating up her husband, they punched her on the face and she fell down bleeding.

Zaid Raghdan, a Syrian, testified that while he was having lunch with Paul William, Australian, he heard a verbal fight at the next table between the three Emiratis and the couple. He also testified that the three men started beating the husband and when the wife intervened, one of them punched her and sat on her to prevent her from trying to stop the other two beating her husband.

After security men controlled the three, the first accused threatened to kill the husband, added Raghdan. Paul William testified that a friend who was accompanying him and Raghdan was also punched when he attempted to intervene.

The forensic report showed that the woman was injured on her jaw from the punch she received. The report said that the permanent injury she suffered is estimated at about 5 per cent.

Only IAA attended the first hearing and denied the accusation. The other two accused did not attend the hearing as they were in Saudi Arabia for performing Umrah, the defence lawyer told the court. In a following hearing the accused denied the accusation.