Court round up 15/05

Court cases from around the country.

Wafi robbery case: Verdict due on June 8

The verdict of the Wafi robbery case will be announced on June 8, Judge Fahmi Mounir Fahmi said yesterday.

During the closing arguments yesterday before the Dubai Criminal Court, the defence challenged the credibility of a prosecution witness, an Asian salesman.

The defendants Nicola S., 33, a Serbian company proprietor, and Milan M., 52, a Serbian visitor, were charged with aiding and abetting a crime and possession of stolen items. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been held in custody since their arrest on April 28 last year.

The Asian salesman is claimed to have sold the abayas which were allegedly used as disguise in the robbery.

The shop attendant identified Nicola S. before the judge as the person who purchased the items from him.

Ali Al Shamsi, Nicola’s lawyer, noted that the defendant had testified to public prosecution that a tall, white male with a earring allegedly purchased the items from his shop, and that his client does not match the description.

Al Shamsi also contended that the prosecution had not proven his client’s link to the other four who are suspects in the crime or to the second defendant.

Abdul Rahman Hussain, Milan’s lawyer, argued that a search warrant was not issued at the time of the search of the car in which the items were allegedly found and stated that all legal procedures were void in so far as they were based on an invalid procedure.

Sexual assault: Mechanic in the dock

A Turkish mechanic has been charged with assault and rape of a 29-year-old Filipina at her Jebel Ali residence on July 28 last year.

Defendant Bayram A., 41, is charged with rape, aggravated assault, theft, trespassing and consumption of alcohol.

Bayram denied most charges but pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol.

The victim, a hotel employee, told prosecutors that between 2am and 2.30am, she returned to her residence after her shift ended.

She claimed that she dozed off with her lamp left on and woke up to find the lamp switched off and the defendant standing half naked in front of her brandishing a knife.

She told the court that when she screamed, he grabbed her and told her: "Don’t shout – or I will kill you."

She then testified that he started kissing her and then undressed her and forced himself upon her. She tried to resist but was overpowered by the man who also bruised her and cut her with the knife. She added that the suspect snatched her mobile phone and escaped. She ran after him naked and started screaming, following which other employees came out and called the police.

The court has adjourned the hearing to May 18.

Schoolboy rape case: Two found guilty of consensual act

Two Emiratis, 22-year-old salesman Faisal A. and an 18-year-old student Jarash M., were pronounced guilty by Judge Fahmi Mounir Fahmi of having a consensual homosexual relationship with a 15-year-old schoolboy and were acquitted of rape and kidnap.

The duo were charged with abusing the boy repeatedly on seven different occasions against his will.

According to court records, the men were accused of tricking the schoolboy to ride with them to a supermarket to buy beverages.

The boy in his testimony said that they used a mobile phone camera to film him being sodomised. He added that the accused also threatened to kill him.

The boy stated that he was repeatedly sodomised by the duo between October and December 2007. He further claimed that he received a call from the 18-year-old student who told him that he was leaving for a holiday in Thailand.

When he went to see him, he found the two who then raped him.