Dubai Criminal Court yesterday issued prison, deportation and acquittal sentences in a number of cases, and adjourned some until June 24 for the verdicts.
It acquitted SJ, 31, and SD, 29, both Indians, of human trafficking and prostitution. The two were referred to court by the Public Prosecution based on a complaint by JM, an Indian dancer, who said the two forced her to work as a prostitute for the customers of the nightclub they used to run.
The court found out from her colleagues that the dancer wanted to return to her country and had falsely accused the two defendants.
In another case, the court sentenced MD, 32, an Emirati, to four years for the possession and consumption of heroin.
Also sentenced were two Pakistanis and an Egyptian, who received three months each followed by deportation for theft. They used to follow bank customers, throw chili powder on their faces and steal their money, it was established. A fourth defendant in the case, a Pakistani, was acquitted.
The court adjourned until June 24 the case of two Cameroonians charged with defrauding GM, 32, an Emirati civil servant, by claiming they could invest her money and turn black paper into dollars. They allegedly embezzled Dh800,000.
Meanwhile, the court heard that an Egyptian driver stabbed his roommate to death because of a dispute over Dh3,000. The accused SH, 33, stabbed DS, the victim, 11 times in his car with a knife. At yesterday's hearing, SH said he was defending himself and it was the victim who tried to stab him first, injuring his finger.
Earlier, SH had told the police that DS owed him Dh3,000 and that on the day of the incident they had agreed to go to a police station to settle the dispute. On the way they allegedly had an argument and the defendant changed the car's direction. He said that was when the victim hit him with a knife on the hand. He said he braked suddenly and DS hit the dashboard and the knife fell from his hand. The defendant allegedly took another knife he kept in his car and stabbed the victim in the chest.