A Turkish woman, who was sentenced to one year in prison after being found guilty of breaking into a flat and stealing jewellery and gold worth half a million dirhams in addition to Dh175,000 in cash, won acquittal by the Dubai Court of Appeal.
In February, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced KY, 36, to one year in jail and ordered her to be deported after serving her sentence.
The accused appealed the verdict seeking acquittal. Dubai Prosecution appealed the verdict seeking stiffer penalty.
The convict denied the accusation of theft when she appeared before the Court of Appeal. She also questioned why she was referred to the court two years after the theft.
The Court of Appeal acquitted the woman for lack of sufficient evidence. However, the verdict is subject to appeal before the Court of Cassation.
The case records says that a fingerprint of KY, 36, who was serving a jail term for a similar theft, was found at the scene of the crime and that was the only evidence brought against her.
On September 29, 2013, at around 6.30pm, DI, 40, Iraqi, took her mother to Dubai Hospital for chemotherapy and returned home after about two hours.
“I was shocked when I saw the door open and the lock broken. The lights were on though I was sure that I had switched them off before leaving the house.
“Going to the bedroom, I found the locks of the wardrobe and the drawer in it broken. The drawer was emptied of jewellery worth Dh500,000 and Dh175,000 in cash,” said the victim.
She told police that the jewellery belonged to herself, daughter and sister and the cash were hers and her mother’s.
Police lifted fingerprints from the scene and found one which matched with that of KY, 36, Turkish woman, who was serving her jail term for another theft.