A Dubai criminal court convicted a construction worker (Asian) for attempted murder of his colleague and sentenced him to three years in prison followed by deportation. The court ruled out premeditated murder, deeming that the act was committed under the influence of anger and emotional distress, stemming from the worker's belief that the victim had not included him in the list of employees for whom the company had booked travel tickets, despite his need to return home due to his mother’s death.
The public prosecutor charged the construction worker with attempted murder with premeditation, describing the crime as one where the worker went to the location of the victim in the company's housing area, waiting for the opportune moment. Once he got the chance, he attacked the victim with 11 swift and forceful stabs to the chest and abdomen, intending to take his life. However, the victim survived due to immediate medical assistance.
The accused denied the charges and claimed during the investigations and in court that he was under the influence of alcohol and did not remember committing the act. The victim reported receiving a call from the company confirming that as the longest-serving worker, 22 tickets had been booked for workers to return home, but the accused's name was not on the list. The victim informed the other concerned employees, prompting the accused to confront him about why he had not received a ticket, especially since his mother was ill. The victim told him he lacked the authority to make such decisions and advised him to speak to management.
The following day, the accused returned, informing the victim that his mother had passed away and he needed to go home. The victim reiterated that he had no control over the ticket decisions, which angered the accused. After leaving the victim's room, he returned minutes later and, thinking the accused wanted to continue the conversation, was instead met with stabbings to his abdomen and chest, causing him to lose consciousness. He later learned that company workers had intervened to save him and had taken him to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and was found to have sustained 11 penetrating wounds.
A witness from the worker's accommodation stated that he heard a fight while in his room and rushed outside to observe the accused stabbing the victim in quick succession. He intervened, moved the victim to his room, and called for an ambulance, while others restrained the accused until the police arrived.
The criminal court noted that premeditation implies a calm and thought-out decision by the perpetrator, which was not the case here. It observed that the accused committed the act in a fit of rage provoked by the failure to secure a travel ticket following his mother’s death, ultimately convicting him of attempted murder.
