DUBAI // An intoxicated accountant who threatened to kill a man with a knife if he did not hand over Dh5,000 has been jailed.
Dubai Criminal Court heard that on November 28, A A, 31, from the Comoros Islands, attacked 52-year-old Emirati A K A after drinking at a nightclub.
He was charged with making threats to kill accompanied by a demand to pay ransom, and with consuming alcohol without a licence, though he was not present in court to enter a plea.
“I was leaving a hotel in Al Qusais at nearly 2am when a man appeared in front of me and asked for my name,” the Emirati said.
“He asked if I was from Sharjah and I said yes, then he told me he had a weapon and would kill anyone, so I better walk with him.”
The pair walked towards the lifts then the defendant is said to have waved the knife in the Emirati’s face and demanded cash.
“He asked me to pay him more so he wouldn’t kill me, then said that he didn’t care since he had a criminal record. Besides that, no one would know that he killed me,” said A K A, who managed to flee and get help from security guards.
The manager of the nightclub the victim visited that night testified that the defendant had been causing a disturbance on the premises.
“He had an altercation with one of the guards and I warned him about that but, minutes later, I saw him as he approached A K A and took him out to a corner,” said 51-year-old Syrian A M A.
The manager said he then saw the Emirati run outside, so he went over to the defendant to ask what happened.
“I told him he had been pushing customers away and asked him to sit, or I would have him thrown out of the place,” said the manager.
“At that moment I was told he had a knife, so we called police.”
At Dubai Criminal Court on Thursday, A A was sentenced to one year in jail for issuing threats and one month for drinking alcohol without a licence.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
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