DUBAI // Police must have feared the worst as they followed a trail of blood that led them to the unresponsive body of a man surrounded by broken glass.
But it soon became clear he had not been attacked, he had cut himself by mistake while drunk.
The man, an Emirates pilot, was charged with the illegal consumption of alcohol, as was another drunken pilot.
JM, 37, from France, and AK, 37, from Mexico, were drinking at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel on November 6 last year. They left at about 3am and went to the Frenchman's apartment at Jumeirah Lakes Towers, where they kept drinking until 9am.
The Frenchman broke a glass, cutting his hand and causing it to bleed heavily. The Mexican helped him treat the wound and his shirt was stained. The blood also dripped on to the floor.
When the Mexican left the flat, security guards noticed the blood and called police.
"We knocked on the door for a long time but no one answered, so we obtained the prosecution's approval and entered the apartment," said one of the officers.
They found glass, blood and the Frenchman in a "deep sleep".
The men were arrested and charged with illegally consuming alcohol.
"I have a licence," said the Frenchman, who gave police its number. But both were found guilty and fined Dh1,000.