DUBAI // A drunk worker who insulted his roommate and his family before trying to throw him off their balcony was sentenced to a year in jail on Monday by Dubai Criminal Court.
M S, 54, from Pakistan, did not take his roommate’s criticism about his drinking habits well and told his 28-year-old victim, B A, that he wanted to have sex with him, his sister and mother and then, after trying to throw him off the balcony, M S stabbed B A.
The court heard that the driver had been drinking alcohol all day on February 7.
The roommate said he woke at 9am that day and M S was already drinking at their home in International City.
B A said he did some housework before leaving for Friday prayer. When he returned, M S was still in the house drinking.
“We then had lunch with a number of friends and he was all the time joking with me but using very insulting words and foul language,” said the roommate.
“I put up with him because he was very drunk. He said he wanted to have sex with me, my sister and my mother but I didn’t respond with anything more than telling him he was drunk.”
Hours later, B A had had enough of the driver’s drunken behaviour and so he told him off for being irresponsible. “I told him he should be ashamed of himself and that he drinks all the time and keeps insulting me while drunk,” he said.
B A was standing on his room’s balcony at this point and M S was standing inside. M S then walked towards B A and tried to push him off the balcony but failed.
“I acted quickly and saw that he wanted to push me. I asked him what was wrong with him, then a friend came and took him away,” said B A.
The drunk then went to the kitchen, picked up a knife and, when his roommate was not looking, stabbed him in the chest.
“I felt dizzy when he stabbed me and screamed for the men near us to come,” said B A. “When they did, the defendant told them that he had not stabbed me but I stabbed myself.
“He was laughing when he was telling the men that I stabbed myself, then he fainted.”
The victim later woke up in hospital after being rescued by the other men.
When police arrived, M S was not in the apartment. He had cleaned the knife before fleeing but he was arrested the following morning.
M S denied attempting to murder his roommate but confessed to consuming alcohol illegally.
He was sentenced to a year for attempted murder, to be followed by deportation, and was fined Dh2,000 for the alcohol charge.
salamir@thenational.ae
