Footballer's family appeal death sentence

The family of a profesional footballer in Sharjah convicted of stabbing a man to death have appealed against the death sentence.

SHARJAH // The family of an Emirati profesional footballer convicted of stabbing a man to death have appealed against the death sentence handed down to him by the Sharjah Court of First Instance. FK, 27, a national team player, was sentenced to death in March together with his brother, MK, and another Sharjah club footballer, MJ, for killing their neighbour, JJ, on April 15 last year.

The Sharjah Appeal Court has set May 27 as the date to hear FK's appeal case. According to the victim's lawyer, Abdul Hamid Al Kumity, a legal doctor who examined the body of his client will testify at the appeal hearing, along with two police witnesses. The first ruling was passed by three judges led by Judge Halimi Abdul Azim after several months of hearing evidence. According to police reports on the case, the three men overpowered JJ during a fight in Sharjah's Riffa area. They then threw him to the ground and stabbed him in the face with a knife, police said.

In a statement signed by Abu Ezza, Sharjah's attorney general, when the case was first referred to court, he said they stabbed the victim four times. The statement said the other defendants watched the attack but did nothing to stop it. MK also was charged with being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack and also trying to flee the country after the crime. SK, who was not present during the attack, was charged with helping MK in his attempt to flee - a plan that was foiled by Sharjah Police, who arrested the men.