Woman admits stabbing boyfriend to death

She said she suffered from a psychological disorder; she had originally reported the man's death as a suicide.

DUBAI // A woman who claimed to be psychologically disturbed admitted this morning to stabbing a man in the heart and killing him.

AF, a 26-year-old Kazakhistani businesswoman, told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance she was defending herself against the man's attempt to strangle her.

AF and the Ukrainian YS, whose age was not mentioned in records, were in a relationship and got drunk before a dispute erupted and they began fighting. Signs of struggle were found YS' hands, neck and face, while scratches were found on AF's neck – marks she said a cat had caused, records said.

Police received a report of the incident on November 7, 2010, but the caller told them it was a suicide. However, when police arrived at the scene, a villa in Jumeirah, forensics experts confirmed that YS had been stabbed and had not committed suicide.

AF lived in one of the villa's second-floor rooms, ES, a Dubai police captain, testified.

ES said he questioned AF inside the villa, and she said YS came to visit her to solve some problems they were having. She said YS started drinking alcohol, and when the argument became heated, he grabbed a knife she was using to prepare food and stabbed himself, ES testified.

He added that AF was not behaving normally: "She stood up, walked, sat and cried and kept entering the room to take a look at the dead body, all at the same time."

A psychological report found that AF suffered from a disorder caused by abuse to which she was subjected by her mother as a child. She had also been raped earlier in life. The report said AF told police her relationship with YS involved many disputes, which she said affected her behaviour.

The next hearing was scheduled for June 19 to appoint a lawyer.