Family of boy beaten to death by father won't seek death sentence, UAE court told

Blood relatives of the boy told the Criminal Court they were satisfied that the father was merely trying to discipline his son and did not mean to kill him.

ABU DHABI // Relatives of a 12-year-old boy beaten to death by his father over bad grades will not demand a death sentence.

The child’s mother and grandfather yesterday told the Criminal Court they were satisfied that R?M, an Emirati, did not mean to kill his eldest son, but was only trying to discipline him.

They said the boy, who had five siblings, was his father’s favourite child.

The father confessed to beating his son with wire but insisted he did not mean to kill him.

“He not only failed his exams, he also hid his certificate and lied to me. That is why I had to discipline him because he was not raised this way,” he said.

The child’s mother said the father, a former drug addict, beat his son severely with wire on more than one occasion on the day he died. The boy was sleeping beside his mother when the father pulled him away and beat him until he lost consciousness.

A maid found the boy unconscious, naked and covered in blood on the bedroom floor. He died before arriving at hospital.

A verdict is expected on July 10.