Dubai prisoner on trial for setting cell on fire

The 20-year-old Emirati allegedly used a cigarette to set his blanket and then his bed on fire.

DUBAI // A bored convict torched his blanket with a cigarette then left his cell to catch fire, a court heard.

Dubai Criminal Court heard that 20-year-old Emirati HA, who is serving a sentence at the central jail, used his cigarette to start a fire with his blanket then left it on the bed to spread the fire to the rest of the cell.

The incident happened on the afternoon of September 30, 2012. It was not clear in prosecution records why the case took so long to make it to court.

The Emirati was charged with setting fire to a cell and causing damage. He was not present in court to enter a plea.

“It was nearly 5.30pm when I noticed smoke on the cameras coming out of one of the cells,” said a prison warden. “I reported it right away then headed to the location of the cell where I knew that HA had started the fire.”

The next hearing is on September 9.