Jail term for driver who stabbed countryman to death on Dubai worksite is doubled

Bangladeshi who chased man around construction site before stabbing him to death has sentence increased from five years to 10.

A Bangladeshi driver who was sentenced to five years in prison for chasing a compatriot around a construction site before stabbing him to death has had his sentence doubled.

The 38-year-old appealed the verdict issued by Dubai Criminal Court asking for a reduced prison term but prosecutors also appealed seeking a harsher sentence.

Dubai Court of Appeal rejected the driver’s appeal and sentenced him to 10 years in jail on Monday.

He attacked the victim at about 7am on November 22 last year at a site in Al Rashidiya and the man later died of his injuries.

By the time police arrived, the attacker had fled but he was arrested the next morning.

“Witnesses said to officers that the driver stabbed the victim then fled,” said an Emirati policeman. "We rushed the victim to hospital but he passed away the following day - the same day we apprehended his attacker."

He said the driver told officers that the victim had assaulted him and he was only defending himself.

"They had a work-related argument then engaged in a fight. The defendant picked up a metal bar and the [victim] carried a wooden plank and assaulted the [defendant], after which we managed to break them apart and report the matter to a supervisor," said a Bangladeshi co-worker.

By the time the supervisor arrived, the defendant had picked up a knife from the kitchen and attacked the victim.

"We rushed there and saw him stabbing our colleague but he fled and we had to attend to the bleeding man, so we couldn’t catch him," said the co-worker.

The driver denied physical assault and causing death charges in both the criminal and appeal courts.

However, he was convicted and his sentence increased to 10 years, to be followed by deportation.