Court pardons man sentenced to 15 years in jail for murder

Man who killed the person who posted a scandalous photo of his sister online is pardoned by Dubai Criminal Court.

DUBAI // A man who stabbed to death another for posting a scandalous photo of his sister on Facebook has been pardoned by judges at Dubai Criminal Court and released from his 15-year sentence.

The Indian man, 27, stabbed his victim 28 times in a hotel car park on May 30, 2011.

A 28-year-old Moroccan security guard at the hotel had told the court he saw the incident on camera.

“After he was taken by surprise and attacked the victim tried to get up, walked a few steps, then fell down,” the guard said.

The accused denied a charge of premeditated murder in court in 2013, telling judges he was acting in self-defence and did not mean to kill the man.

But he was found guilty and jailed for 15 years, with the appeals and the cassation courts backing the verdict.

Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty and said he planned the crime by hiding a knife under his clothes before heading to the victim’s workplace.

In court yesterday, the Indian was given a judicial pardon and was freed.

No reason was given.