Sunday, May 28, 2017
Dubai: A jobless man has been accused of trying to kill his ex-wife at her workplace by dousing concentrated sulfuric acid on her.
The 44-year-old Emirati man is said to have walked into the clinic where his countrywoman worked in September 2015 before locking the door from inside and dousing her with the acid, which he had concealed in a shampoo bottle.
According to records, the woman screamed out for help and told security to take the man out of her office as he tried to pour the caustic liquid over her head.
Swift medical intervention saved the life of the woman who, according to medical reports, sustained second-degree and third-degree burns.
Dubai Police took the man into custody shortly after the incident.
Prosecutors brought a charge of premeditated murder against the suspect.
According to the charges sheet, prosecutors said the suspect had intended to kill his ex-wife and caused 80 per cent burns to her skin besides 31 per cent third-degree burns.
The suspect pleaded guilty and apologised for what he had done to his ex-wife when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
“I am mistaken, I should not have done what I did. I did not have any intention to kill my divorced wife, the mother of my five kids as we had lived together for 15 years. I have been detained for nearly two years and would like to be bailed. I promise that I would never get near her or near my children except through the legal channels,” the suspect pleaded before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.
The ex-wife told prosecutors that she was at work when the suspect attacked her with sulfuric acid. “When he arrived at my office, I called the security to prevent him; the suspect stopped the guard and locked the door from inside. He took out a green shampoo bottle and doused me with a burning liquid — he poured it on my face and body,” she testified before prosecutors.
The Egyptian security guard testified before prosecutors that the suspect applied yoghurt on his hands because he had burned his own hands while trying to douse the woman with acid.
A police lieutenant told prosecutors: “Witnesses saw the suspect being treated at the clinic’s emergency room after he had burnt his own hands; he was also heard saying ‘I wish I had slaughtered her and gotten rid of her.’”
Presiding judge Jamal refused the suspect’s request for bail and adjourned the hearing until the Emirati could hire a lawyer to turn up in his defence during the a hearing set for July 2.
By Bassam Zaza Legal and Court Correspondent
Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.
