Dubai: Indian worker jailed for drinking, beating countryman to death

A 26-year-old Indian worker in Dubai has been jailed for five years for beating another Indian to death with a wooden rod while he was inebriated, according to a media report.

The victim and his 30-year-old countryman were drinking liquor when the accused joined them in December last year. The victim, who seemed to be troubled, started talking about his family disputes, when his 26-year-old countryman asked him to stop discussing his family problems as he was not interested in listening it, Gulf news reported.

This irritated the victim who beat the accused with a wooden rod. The defendant snatched the rod away and hit back at the victim, who fell down unconscious, the paper said.

The victim died before the arrival of police. The Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday convicted the accused of beating the victim to death and drinking liquor.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar said the accused, who had pleaded innocent, will be deported after serving jail term. Prosecutors said the accused battered the victim on the back of his head and caused his death without intending to do so.

The accused admitted to prosecutors that when he refused to listen to the victim discussing his family problems, the latter swore at him and assaulted him with the wooden rod.

"We had a heated argument and fought because I had told him that we were not interested in listening to his problems. Then he swore at me and assaulted me. I hit him back," he accused said.

The 30-year-old worker was fined Dh 2,000 for failing to report the crime to the police and drinking. He admitted to prosecutors that following the assault, he tried to help the victim but had run away once he realised his friend had died.