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Dubai teen charged after kickboxing match leaves student in coma

Last year's incident that left a 17-year-old in coma raises serious concerns about unsupervised sporting activities among youth

Published: Thu 21 Mar 2024, 5:58 PM

Updated: Thu 21 Mar 2024, 11:10 PM

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A friendly match between two schoolmates has escalated into a legal battle after a teenage boy was left in a coma.

The incident, which happened in the JBR area on a sandy pitch around 9.30pm on November 4 last year, has raised serious concerns about unsupervised sporting activities among youth.

The victim, a 17-year-old from the USA, and his assailant, a 16-year-old British schoolmate, were engaged in a kickboxing match. Both were not wearing any protective headgear.

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The victim had been victorious in the initial four rounds, but the tide turned dramatically in the fifth round when the defendant landed a kick to the victim’s jaw, rendering him unconscious.

“We all ran including the defendant to check on him,” said a Canadian friend of both the students.

“He (the victim) regained consciousness and began vomiting at which point we took him to my house nearby.”

But the gravity of the situation soon became apparent, leading to an urgent hospital visit.

The friends called an ambulance that rushed the victim to Rashid Hospital, where he underwent surgery to treat an acute subdural hematoma — a severe condition involving bleeding within the skull but outside the brain.

The victim remained in a coma for several days before finally being discharged on December 15.

The defendant, who has since been charged with physical assault, spent a week detained in a juvenile centre. Later, he was released after surrendering his passport.

Despite denying the charges, asserting the kickboxing match was a friendly sport between schoolmates, the case has moved to Dubai Juveniles Misdemeanour Court.

“He (the victim) is my friend and my schoolmate, we were playing. I didn’t mean to hurt him,” the defendant said in court records.

Representing the defendant, lawyer Awatif Shoqi emphasised the absence of malice or intent to harm in her client's actions, portraying the event as a tragic accident among friends.

“The defendant and the victim are close friends and schoolmates. This was an unfortunate incident that happened in the context of a playful activity," lawyer Awatif told the court.

"According to the law, the accused bears no responsibility, as the victim's injury resulted from an engagement in play initiated by the victim himself,” she said in court.

“Moreover, even if this altercation wasn't playful, the principle that one cannot benefit from their own wrongdoing applies, particularly since the victim is a professional and experienced kickboxer," Awatif added.

She argued that the incident, while regrettable, was devoid of any criminal intent or deliberate harm, highlighting the defendant's immediate distress and concern for his friend as evidence of his good faith.

“The match was a demonstration of skill and strength initiated by the victim, an experienced kickboxer who himself invited their mutual friends to watch,” she told judges.

A verdict will be issued on March 27.

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