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'Sharjah Slasher' found guilty

SHARJAH - Jude Pereira, the 28-year-old Sri Lankan nicknamed the "Sharjah Slasher" after he went on a stabbing spree assaulting four women between February 12 and 17, was sentenced by the Sharjah Shariah Court to two-year imprisonment besides a fine of Dh2,000 yesterday, a little over five months after he was arrested.

Jude heard the sentence being read out with a smile on his face, while back home in Sri Lanka, his father, K.D. Peter Pereira, choked on his son's plight, saying it was a sad day for the family.

Clad casually in denims and white shirt, Jude, sporting a beard, appeared to have lost weight, but the smile never left his face as he watched the proceedings from behind the fence.

The court has given him 15 days to file an appeal against the judgment, which his lawyer, Abdul Kareem Ahmad bin Eid of Busit, Al Roken and Associates, said they would.

The series of stabbing incidents had created a sensation and sent residents, particularly women, in the emirate rushing back home before dark, till Jude was arrested on March 14.

The court sentenced Jude to six months in jail and Dh500 fine on each of the four cases of physical assault, for a cumulative imprisonment of two years and fine of Dh2, 000. Charges of sexual harassment against him were, however, dropped. He was tried under Articles 339/1 and 356/2 of the Criminal Law, and the trial lasted four sessions held on July 16, August 1, August 15 and August 22.

The court relied on the statements of Rihan, a Bangladeshi, who along with a mother and daughter, identified Jude and were prosecution witnesses. Jude, after confessing to the crime before the Public Prosecution, denied it in court stating that he confessed only because he was terrified.

Abdul Kareem told Khaleej Times that they would definitely go in appeal against the verdict, and seek appointment of a medical committee to go into his mental state. Jude was earlier referred to Al Amal Hospital to determine his mental and psychological state, and the doctors had given him a clean chit then.

Abdul Kareem, however, argued that the element of motive was missing in the entire episode since he had not stolen anything or committed any other crime.

"He sure is sick, and his mental state should be reviewed by a court-appointed medical committee," he said, adding that even in the case of the witnesses, it would have been impossible for them to identify him because it was dark in the places of assault besides the fact that all the attacks were from behind.

Is it love or hate?

SHARJAH — Jude Pereira himself provided the punch line when Khaleej Times reporter spoke to him after the court handed him down the sentence.

"Do you hate women?" Jude was asked, and pat came the reply "Yes".

"And do you love women?"

Jude said with a smile "No."

When asked again if he really hated women, he said "no" before waving good-bye to this reporter from behind the fence. — Amira Agarib

He’s innocent, says father

DUBAI — A shattered Pereira family in Sri Lanka described Jude's conviction by the Sharjah Shariah Court as a "sad day in our lives".

The senior Pereira, retired at 56 and down with a heart problem, told Khaleej Times over phone: "My son is innocent. He is a nice person, and never gave any indication of such behaviour. We brought him up well and shaped his career to become a computer engineer so that he can look after us in our old age."

Claiming that Jude had been sick and under treatment for the past 17 years after a fall, K.D. Peter Pereira said he had also mailed all his medical reports to his son's friend Raja to be produced as proof of his ailment.

"He is our only son, and he got married only a year ago. His wife stays with us, but we have kept the news away from her for fear of what will happen to her. Jude has always been nice with her," Peter said, adding that Jude's 55-year-old mother was heart-broken by the news.

Peter was bitter about the role played, or rather the lack of it, by the Lankan Embassy. "I wrote to the embassy officials, but they never bothered to help my son out, not even enquire about his well-being in jail. The officials, in fact, said they didn't want to involve themselves in the case since they believed that Jude was guilty," he said.

He said the family was too poor to afford a trip to the UAE to extend support to their son, but had tried to help him through friends and the media.

"Jude's mental state should be reviewed by another medical committee since his behaviour does not appear to be normal. He has been working there for the past five years, and has always been polite with everyone. He is innocent," asserted the father. — Amira Agarib