Flatmate bites off part of fellow lodger's ear in tussle over TV remote

Dispute over rent is probably the bigger issue, victim says

DUBAI // A Sri Lankan man bit off part of his flatmate's ear after he refused to turn off the television, a court has been told. The 28-year-old man, identified as SW, pleaded guilty yesterday to an assault charge at the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance. He bit the tragus, the small pointed portion of the external ear, off his flatmate, WH, last November.

The men got into an argument after the defendant asked his roommate to switch off the TV, and the latter refused. The Sri Lankan man then jumped on his flatmate and bit his ear. A medical reported submitted in court said the victim suffered a three per cent permanent debilitation from the attack. The defendant's flatmate told prosecutors the conflict was rooted in a disagreement over rent. It was the second criminal case this week involving an assault stemming from a rent dispute. An Egyptian man was charged on Sunday with the premeditated murder of his flatmate, who allegedly owed him Dh3,000. The defendant allegedly stabbed his victim 11 times in a car parked under the Mall of the Emirates Metro station.

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