DUBAI // A soldier used an illegal weapon to shoot his wife in the back while under the influence of alcohol, a court heard.
I J, 53, an Emirati, is accused of using an M20 Tokarev pistol on his 38-year-old Emirati wife, MB. She was rushed to Rashid Hospital and has recovered.
Her husband denied charges of attempted murder in the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance while pleading guilty to possession of an unlicensed weapon and consuming alcohol.
MB told prosecutors that while she was at home on April 5, disciplining the couple's children, I J asked her to stop shouting. She also said he had been drinking.
The children did not stop making noise, I J, now furious, stormed off towards the bedroom, prosecutors say. MB followed him to try to calm him down but was taken by surprise when he took out a gun and fired it at her, she said. MB, who felt the bullet hit her lower back, made her way to a neighbour's house to call for help.
The neighbour, A H, said she heard a loud knock at the door. When she ran to open it, she found MB bleeding, asking for help and crying from the pain of her wound.
A police officer testified that a complaint came in to the operations room about a shooting and attempted murder.
He said he saw the defendant being escorted out of the villa by other policemen and added that he noticed I J smelled strongly of alcohol. After searching the defendant, the officer found a bullet in his pocket as well as two bullets in the gun. The officer also found an empty cartridge in the bedroom.
IJ has also been charged for the possession of 12 firecrackers without the approval of authorities. Judge El Saeed Bargouth adjourned the case to November 9.
balqabbani@thenational.ae
