Blacksmith who bit roommate’s ear sentenced by Dubai court in absence

The man was unhappy at being told to wait at the door so he attacked his roommate, the Dubai court hears.

DUBAI // A drunk blacksmith who bit off part of his roommate’s ear because he was kept waiting was sentenced to six months behind bars on Wednesday.

At Dubai Criminal Court, L S, 32, from India, faced a charge of assaulting the safety of A M by biting off part of his ear on August 8 last year, causing him a 1 per cent permanent disability. He was not present last month to enter a plea, and was sentenced in his absence.

The blacksmith and the other man were charged with consuming alcohol. A M, 36, who also failed to attend court at his first hearing, was fined Dh2,000.

Prosecutors said that L S confessed to assaulting his countryman following a dispute at their accommodation. However, he failed to give the reason behind his attack.

The victim said that he was in his room when L S knocked on the door. He said the blacksmith was not acting normally, so he kept him at the door for his own safety.

“I opened the door and found he was too drunk and acting bizarrely. I asked him to wait at the door and headed to call for a security guard, but he attacked me and bit my ear off,” said A M, whose screams alerted accommodation security, who called 999.

“When I saw L S running away and A M bleeding from the ear, I got hold of L S and contacted the accommodation supervisor,” said Bangladeshi security guard S A, 31.