Boy killer denies planned murder

Thirty-year-old UAE national, RO, who has appealed against his death sentence for the murder of a four-year-old boy, MM, has denied it was a pre-meditated murder.

At the first hearing of his appeal against the sentence at the Dubai Court of Appeals yesterday, RO admitted to sodomy and murder but said it was not pre-meditated. The case now includes two appeals, one lodged by the public prosecution against RO, and the second filed by the defendant against the public prosecution.

Earlier, the Court of First Instance had sentenced RO to death for intentional killing of four-year-old boy, MM, after sodomising him. He had also been sentenced to six months in jail for alcohol consumption.

The Dubai Court of Appeals yesterday adjourned the case to Sunday and the Public Prosecution was assigned to appoint a lawyer to defend RO. The defendant, who is in custody, attended yesterday's session and answered the judge's questions. He was later placed back in remand.

The sentence in the case is considered the quickest awarding of the death penalty in the history of Dubai courts and was issued within a month of the case going on trial. It took four hearings before the verdict was pronounced.

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