The Dubai Criminal Court awarded a Central Jail prisoner one year in jail for setting fire to his cell using the mattress, a battery and aluminium foil.
He was protesting against the jail’s administration.
At 1.30pm on March 14, SYO, 27, Emirati, asked a policeman to inform the head of the Follow-Up section about his wanting to meet him.
The policeman, Hassan Ali, 26, notified the section head First Lt Hamad Rashid Al Marri about the prisoner’s wish and the latter said he will come later to see the prisoner, being busy at the moment.
The prisoner got angry when he heard from the policeman the reply of the section head and threatened to burn the cell should he not come, Hassan testified before the Prosecution.
Hassan tried to calm him down but in vain. So he directed the control camera to the cell.
“I saw him cutting the mattress into pieces and then he brought a battery of the shaving machine and a piece of aluminium paper (of the cigarette box) to function as electricity conductor. He waited until the aluminium paper glowed, and with it he burnt the sponge pieces… So I rushed with the fire extinguisher to his cell and put out the fire. SYO told me that he will re-set the cell on fire because he is not answered and his needs have never been met,” Hassan testified.
SYO repeated the drama and burnt the cell again. This time I did not extinguish the fire but rather informed the operation room who in five minutes came and put out the fire.
SYO was assisted by his brother, who was also a prisoner, as he suffered from smoke inhalation and was rushed to the central jail clinic.
The damages were estimated at Dh75.