Death sentence over fatal Abu Dhabi road-rage attack reduced to 5 years

One of two brothers accused of killing a man in a road-rage incident had his death sentence reduced to five years by the Appeals Court yesterday.

ABU DHABI // A motorist accused of killing a fellow driver in a road-rage incident had his sentence commuted from death to five years in prison yesterday - after appearing in court lying on a bed.

MS was convicted by the Criminal Court on a charge of murder following a traffic-related fight he had with an Emirati motorist in his 50s.

However, the Appeals Court dismissed the murder charge and found him guilty instead of "beating that lead to death", and commuted his sentence.

The court also upheld the acquittal of his brother, who faced a charge of assault.

The fight broke out after MS, also Emirati, became incensed at being overtaken. He repassed the vehicle and forced it to stop on the hard shoulder, before confronting the driver.

He beat the driver severely in the fight that followed but the man was still conscious when police arrived at the scene. He identified the two brothers to police officers as his attackers but died after arriving at hospital.

MS claimed he had been left half-paralysed as a result of the fight, which he said was started by the other driver.

He attended his court hearings on a bed, but prosecuting lawyers said that this was a trick in an attempt to gain sympathy.