Dubai expat jailed for disturbing neighbours; here's what he did

A Dubai resident has been sentenced to three months in jail for disturbing his neighbours with loud music and assaulting the three police officers who came to reprimand him.
The Dubai Court of First Instance heard that on June 22, the 41-year-old British expatriate, a sales manager, was under the influence of alcohol when he behaved aggressively towards on-duty police officers.
The three officers were responding to a call from a neighbour complaining about the music that was blasting out from the defendant's flat.  A case was registered at Bur Dubai police station.
The court found the manager guilty of assault, damaging public property, causing nuisance, and consuming alcohol without a permit.
It ordered him to pay a Dh250 fine for damaging a policeman's uniform and another Dh2,000 for the illegal consumption of alcohol.
The manager will be deported after completing his sentence.
A policeman said they went to a tower in Business Bay after receiving a call from a resident. "She complained that their neighbour on the upper floor had been causing nuisance for six months. She said he would always raise the music volume.
"We went upstairs with the security guard. We could hear the loud music from the defendant's flat. He didn't have a shirt on when he opened the door for us. We then asked him to wear a shirt, bring his ID, and walk with us."
The officer recalled during the public prosecution investigation that as they were escorting the defendant down the building, they could tell he had been drinking alcohol.
He looked drunk and was apparently nervous.
The cop called the officer-in-charge when he saw that the defendant appeared agitated and was about to cause trouble.
"The accused grabbed my colleague by the neck. As I tried to take him away from the other cop, he damaged the cop's badge," the officer told the prosecutor.
The defendant also ripped the cop's uniform.
"He knocked me down and kicked my leg. He then fell down. We brought him under control and took him inside the patrol car," the policeman recounted.
The defendant can appeal the court decision within 15 days from the date of issuance of the verdict.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai

Marie Nammour

mary@khaleejtimes.com