Dubai cook drowns man under alcohol influence, claims he was having fun

Picture used for illustrative purposes alone

A cook, sentenced to 10 years in jail and deportation for intentionally drowning a compatriot by holding his head down in the sea, has lost his appeal against a lower court's ruling.
The 30-year-old Kenyan denied a premeditated murder charge during the trial. He claimed he was only having fun and that he was then under the influence of alcohol. The appellate court upheld his jail term and deportation order and also ordered him to pay Dh1,000 on an alcohol charge.
Two other Kenyans - aged 30 and 25 - who have been accused of failing to report the crime that happened on January 22, last year, were ordered to pay a Dh1,000 fine each by the Court of First Instance in November. "The incident was at first reported as an accident, but later the victim's boss, a 54-year-old Italian restaurant owner, told us that he suspected it was an intentional drowning, as the victim's friend told him so," a police lieutenant said.
The police spoke to one of the victim's female relatives and found that he was with the three accused and two women on Jumeirah Beach on that day.
"They all denied knowing anything about the matter. However, we learned later that the main defendant drowned the victim by forcibly putting his head in the water more than once. It was like that until the victim disappeared," the police officer told the prosecutor.
Several mutual friends told the police that the defendant had previous disputes with the victim and had threatened to hurt him.
During the questioning, the main accused claimed he was playing with the victim by putting his head in the water. "He said that when the victim disappeared, he got scared and returned to the beach. He did not call for help," the lieutenant said. The defendant confessed to the police that he had threatened to kill the victim but claimed it was in an instant of rage.
The alcohol level was high in the victim's body to an extent that could affect his perception. The defendant may challenge the ruling at the Court of Cassation.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai