The Dubai Court of Appeal sentenced a foreign man to life imprisonment and deportation for killing his girlfriend by drowning her in the bathtub, claiming that she was possessed by jinn and that he was attempting to treat her. Initially, he fabricated a scenario to make the crime appear as a suicide.
Investigations revealed that the defendant had a long-term relationship with the victim and was extremely jealous and controlling, often stalking her. He had multiple relationships with other women, which led to recurring conflicts and her attempts to break up with him. However, he insisted on staying with her and continued to pursue her.
The prosecution's investigation indicated that in the period leading up to the crime on March 26 of last year, the defendant claimed she was possessed by jinn and that he was the only one who could help her. He even asked her friends to convince her of this, but when that didn’t work, he decided to kill her and quietly planned the act.
On the day of the crime, he consumed drugs, then severely beat her, causing multiple injuries to her face, neck, and various parts of her body. He then took her to the bathroom, held her head under the faucet, and submerged her until she died. He left her in that state for about five hours before pulling her out, believing that this would solidify a narrative of suicide, after which he called for an ambulance.
The victim struggled against him, resulting in injuries to his arms and fingers. He was examined by a specialized psychiatric committee at Rashid Hospital, which confirmed he did not suffer from any mental or psychological disorders that would affect his will or perception at the time of the incident.
A neighbor of the victim testified that she heard an argument between the victim and the defendant about two weeks prior to the crime. On the day of the incident, she heard a commotion followed by loud Quran recitation. At midnight, she heard sounds of a struggle and something hitting the ground, noticing that the man was speaking Arabic while the woman was pleading for her life. The sounds of hitting continued, along with religious phrases, prompting her to call the police and later speak to the security guard.
When she returned to her apartment, she heard a noise and the victim saying, "You are hurting me." She went back to the security guard, who accompanied her, advising her to stay in her apartment until the matter was checked, as the victim mentioned the police would come.
A witness from Dubai Police testified that upon receiving a report about the incident and arriving at the scene, he found the defendant, who claimed that the victim had committed suicide. The defendant appeared disturbed by the police and ambulance procedures, insisting that they perform CPR, despite being informed that she had died hours earlier. His behavior suggested he was under the influence of drugs.
He was interrogated the next day after regaining consciousness, admitting to having a romantic relationship with the victim for about three years. He indicated that he noticed her behaving strangely recently and that she was possessed by jinn, for which he recited Islamic verses over her while watching videos on how to treat possession.
The defendant claimed that on the day of the incident, he had struck her in the stomach and pulled her hair while trying to restrain her. He said he left her in the bathtub alone, and upon returning a few minutes later, he found her in a bowing position. When her left hand spasmed, he attempted to pull her out and provide CPR, but to no avail, so he called the police, attributing the injuries on his hands to his efforts to subdue her while battling the jinn.
The defendant appealed against the primary court's ruling, but the court rejected his defenses. It also refused the prosecution's counter-petition to apply a more severe penalty based on premeditated intent, ultimately ruling for life imprisonment and deportation.
Forensic reports confirmed that the death occurred as a result of drowning in a manner consistent with homicide, noting that all injuries contradicted the defendant's claims of trying to save her.
