Teddy bear lands student in court



DUBAI // A Dh20 teddy bear has landed a student in court after prosecutors claimed he stole it from a shop window.

AA, a 20-year-old student from the Comoros Islands, was reported by a 26-year-old Pakistani labourer who said he saw the defendant ripping the teddy bear from a closed shop's front window in February.

"I was walking in Muraqabbat area at 1.30am near Al Ghurair centre when I saw him robbing the teddy bear," he told prosecutors. "I tried to stop him but he hit me on the head with the teddy bear and then kicked me in the genitals."

The witness claimed he fell on the ground and the defendant continued kicking him until he a friend answered his cries for help.

AA, however, insists he found the bear on the ground on the way to his car. His lawyer told the Dubai Court of First Instance that no grown man would risk prosecution for a Dh20 teddy bear.

"The teddy bear was in the street, not inside the shop," the lawyer said. "There is no crime in grabbing a damaged teddy bear found on the ground."

AA denies theft. A verdict will be issued next month.

salamir@thenational.ae

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Stamp duty timeline

December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%

April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.

July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.

March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.

April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.