Sentences in fatal brothel brawl upheld

Nine men had been sentenced to 10 years in prison each in the stabbing death of a customer.

DUBAI // Ten-year prison sentences for nine men who killed a brothel customer were upheld by the Dubai Court of Appeal this morning.

The Vietnamese men, the brothel's guards, assaulted a drunk customer, an Indian man, after he refused to leave the prostitution den in the China block of International City.

The defendants were also convicted in May of stabbing a second man; they did not enter a plea at the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance when they first appeared in August last year. All nine also received six-month sentences for running a brothel.

Records show that three Indian men, all drivers, went to the brothel on November 20, 2009, after a drinking binge to have sex with Chinese prostitutes.

While two of the men were having sex, the third got into a fight with the prostitute and a guard was called in.

The man was pulled out by the guard and asked to leave, but his friends intervened and asked for the Dh50 they paid to be returned.

The guard then made a phone call, the victims testified, and eight other people came to the flat wielding cleavers and knives.

"The deceased refused to leave and we tried to explain to them that we did not want trouble in sign language, Urdu and English," one of the Indian men told to prosecutors.

"One of them jumped at me with a cleaver and was aiming for my head. He cut my palm while another hit my elbow. I bled profusely and passed out after being pulled out of the flat," the other said.

All nine of the guards stabbed the naked victim repeatedly, killing him. Prosecutors could not identify who struck the deadly blow, so all the defendants were charged with premeditated murder and assault.

"One of them jumped at me with a cleaver and was aiming for my head, he cut my palm while another hit my elbow, I bled profusely and passed out after being pulled out of the flat," said another victim.

Records show that all nine defendants stabbed the naked victim repeatedly killing him. Prosecutors could not identify who struck the deadly blow therefore all the defendants were charged with murder.

Forensic evidence shows that the cause of death was the severance of his artery due to a stabs and cuts to his legs.