An Emirati man who killed a friend after he raised the alarm over a suspected car theft has been handed a seven-year prison sentence.
The 37-year-old stabbed the man in the forearm, causing a fatal bleeding of an artery.
Dubai Criminal Court heard that the victim had been visiting the defendant on August 23 of this year when he spotted a BMW vehicle belonging to another friend parked near to his home in Al Qusais, Dubai.
The killer launched his attack when he became aware the man was calling the owner to tell him his vehicle had been taken.
“When he heard the call, the defendant screamed at the victim as he pulled out a knife then stabbed the victim with it,” said a friend of the victim, who witnessed the incident and alerted police.
“He fled afterwards. I think he was under the influence of drugs at the time.”
The man was tracked down in Ras Al Khaimah within 24 hours.
During police questioning, he claimed the victim attacked him first and he acted in self defence.
He denied carrying out a physical assault leading to death at a previous court date but was convicted of the charge at a hearing on Thursday.
He has two weeks to appeal the verdict.