Family wants Arnold charged with disposing of body

The family of Kerry Winter has requested further investigation in hopes that the man accused of killing her will also be charged with concealing or disposing of her body.

Dubai // The family of Kerry Winter has requested further investigation into her disappearance, in hopes that the man accused of killing her will also be charged with concealing or disposing of her body. Mark Arnold, her ex-boyfriend, was charged in April 2009 with murdering Winter, 35, an executive from South Africa, whose body was never found. Prosecutors allege that Mr Arnold, 42, killed Winter with a baseball bat on August 20, 2008 and dumped her body in the sea.

The murder case against Mr Arnold, who remains in custody, has been plagued with delays caused by witnesses failing to appear before the bench. In the last hearing on February 4, Yousif Hammad, Mr Arnold's lawyer, told the the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance he was ready to present his closing argument if the witnesses failed to show up again. Mr Arnold, a former operations director at Hill International, was arrested on August 25, 2008 after returning from a trip to the UK. Winter was last seen arguing with Mr Arnold on August 20.

The defendant told prosecutors he left Winter alive at the Al Bawadi district and drove away with her car. Mr Arnold also led investigators to her car in al Sufuh. Following the family's request, the court will decide whether to refer the Mr Arnold's file back to the Public Prosecution. The hearing was adjourned until March 18, when a decision will be rendered on whether to add new charges. @Email:[e-mail]