DUBAI // A man sentenced to life in jail for taking part in the killing and robbery of a British mother-of-three in Bur Dubai was yesterday cleared by the Appeals Court.
M?M, 25, from Syria, was convicted in November by the Criminal Court, which ruled he was partly responsible for the woman’s death by urging his flatmate and compatriot, M?K, to stab Maria McClymont, 50, and steal her jewellery.
His flatmate, who was in a relationship with the woman, fled to Syria after the killing and was jailed after admitting to investigators in his home country that he stabbed her to death.
However, M?K also claimed he killed the woman only upon the advice of his friend, who had been trying to convince her to pay Dh40,000 to assist the Syrian men in an investment.
When she refused, claimed the killer, M?M urged him to kill her and to steal her valuables and credit cards instead. He said he stole some gold from the woman’s apartment and handed it to M?M to sell to two other men.
M?M told the Criminal Court at his original trial that he was guilty only of staying on after his visa expired. That court ruled against him, but yesterday the Appeals Court accepted his claim.
Both courts found two other men, W?M, 30, from Syria, and Y?H, 27, from Jordan, not guilty of being in possession of the gold stolen by the killer.
Three co-workers found Ms McClymont’s body nearly naked in a pool of blood in her Golden Sands 2 apartment days after she failed to report to work at a nearby hotel where she worked.
The Scottish divorcee met her killer at a nightclub before becoming involved in a relationship with him.
Between May 20 to May 23, 2011, he tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to drug her with sleeping pills. After his final attempt failed, he lost his temper and stabbed her with a knife from her kitchen.
He said that after he had done so, she stood up and pulled the knife out of her chest, then fell to the ground uttering words in English that he did not understand.
salamir@thenational.ae
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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Financial considerations before buying a property
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Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
