Wrong woman put on trial for Dubai security guard murder

The court called for EK, a 28-year-old Ugandan woman accused of premeditated murder, but an Ethiopian woman with the same first name stood before the panel of judges.

DUBAI // A mix-up over names put the wrong woman on trial for murder at the Criminal Court today.

The court called for EK, a 28-year-old Ugandan woman accused of premeditated murder, but an Ethiopian woman with the same first name responded instead and stood before the panel of judges.

The court then proceeded to hear the full testimony of PR, a 27-year-old Ugandan security guard called as a witness in the murder trial.

Neither the security guard nor the assembled policemen and women in the court noticed that the wrong defendant was before them, with the security guard identifying the woman in court as the same one that he saw running down a staircase with blood on her arm.

About half an hour later, a policewoman entered the court and told judge Hamad Abdul Latif the wrong woman had been summoned.

"Unbelievable, this is just unbelievable," said the judge.

He adjourned the case until October 15 to summon the real EK and to re-hear the security guard's testimony.