A Dubai court has denied an Australian woman divorce and custody of her children after medical reports proved she suffers from a mental health condition.
The Court of Cassation - the emirate's highest court - overruled an earlier decision by Dubai Personal Status Court, given in October 2020, that granted the woman, 38, the right to divorce and custody of her children, aged 5 and 7.
She earlier told judges at the lower court that her husband, also from Australia, 40, had stopped providing for their family since 2019 and was verbally and physically abusive to her.
She said he threatened to take the children away after he admitted her to a mental hospital in the emirate.
The man’s lawyer, Awatif Mohammed from Al Rowaad Advocates, challenged the verdict and took the case to the Court of Cassation.
“My client planned that they all travel to Australia where his wife can be near his cancer-stricken mother and for all of them to be closer to their families and where his wife can also resume her treatment from a mental disorder,” Ms Awatif said in court.
“But when his wife refused, he didn’t abandon her or their children because he loves them.”
She told judges her client was concerned about his wife’s health because she suffered from a mental condition and feared she would relapse.
“This is proof of his love for her and his family,” said the lawyer
Judges were provided with medical reports from hospitals in Australia and one issued by doctors at Rashid Hospital in Dubai.
The reports stated the woman suffered from a bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, which brings severe high and low moods and changes sleep patterns, energy levels, thinking and behaviour.
“Medical reports recommended that children remain with both parents,” Ms Awatif said.
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
