ABU DHABI // A court has ordered that the children of a second wife who was allegedly beaten to death by her husband be given new legal representation.
A S H, an Emirati, and his first wife, N S, are on trial for killing his second wife, a Yemeni.
A S H had fathered two children with the victim. But after her death the court of inheritance appointed their grandfather, A S H’s father, as their legal guardian.
At the Court of First Instance, the grandfather spared the defendants the death sentence and accepted a blood money settlement instead.
The Criminal Court, however, ruled there was a conflict of interest in having the defendant’s father decide this issue.
So it ordered public prosecution to try to find another guardian for the two children.
On Monday,A S H’s defence attorney, Ahmad Al Othali, attempted to overturn this ruling.
He argued the grandfather was appointed as a legal guardian by another court and this should not be changed. He then requested the case be heard by a different circuit and panel of judges.
Mr Al Othali said he was ready to deposit the blood money on behalf of his client.
The court ignored this plea and stuck to its earlier decision to adjourn the case until a new representative was appointed for the victim’s two children.
A S H and N S were arrested after police found the victim dead in their home in Baniyas.
N S had confessed to prosecutors that she beat the victim’s son and daughter, which caused them physical disabilities.
Neighbours testified that the couple starved the victim and her children and regularly beat them.
While there was no forensic evidence linking A S to the victim’s body, A S H confessed to prosecutors that he had kicked and beat the victim with his hands and a cane during their six year marriage.
He also told them that he kept her locked in the house because she suffered from a mental illness.
On the day of the murder, he told prosecutors that he arrived home to find his house in an untidy state and victim unwashed and dishevelled. So he beat her with his fists and a wooden object, until she died.
Both A S H and N S denied the charges at the Criminal Court.
The case was adjourned until public prosecution finds a new guardian for the children.
hdajani@thenational.ae
