DUBAI // A 29-year-old man who claimed he only pushed, not beat up, his wife when he smelt alcohol on her breath has been convicted of assault at Dubai Court of Misdemeanours.

Emirati SK told prosecutors that he was not guilty of assaulting his British wife as he merely pushed her and it was the resultant fall that caused her to bruise.

He said in records that on the morning of June 27, his wife left with a friend and, when she returned about an hour later, he smelt alcohol, so they argued.

“When we argued, she pushed me, so I pushed her back and she fell but afterwards we calmed down and talked it over and she said she needed to see her father, who lives in the country,” SK said. “I left the house and, upon my return, she was not home and the house was in a mess so I called police.”

The husband believes she claimed he assaulted her because they are going through the divorce process at court and he thinks she wanted to win the case because he obtained a travel ban on his son, as he feared the wife would flee with the young boy.

The wife, RS, 28, said in records that she had been married to the defendant for two years.

“I was home on the day of the incident and we argued because I call him often when he is outside the house,” she said.

“The argument escalated and he punched me on the head then dragged me by the hair, telling me he wanted a divorce. I refused so he continued hitting me then rapped his belt around my neck and, at that point, I said I agree to the divorce, so he let me go.”

She added that he left the house but returned 20 minutes later to tell her to take her belongings and leave.

“He even told me to take our son with me and that he will be able to take him from me through the court,” said the wife, who left for her father’s house.

She admitted that she did push her husband but that it was a day before the assault took place.

A hospital report showed she had swelling on the back of her head, bruises on her wrists, shoulder and right eye, as well as scratches on her nose.

The husband appealed the verdict, in which he was fined Dh2,000, and the next hearing at Dubai Court of Appeal will be on October 28.

salamir@thenational.ae