Inmate ‘tried to burn prison down because he was not given cigarettes’

DUBAI // A prisoner tried to burn down the detention centre where he was being held because he was not provided with cigarettes and a takeaway, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

Prosecutors said the lives of fellow prisoners were at risk during the incident at Rashidiyah Police Station’s cell block.

The unemployed Emirati suspect, 31, demanded guards provide him with cigarettes and order him in food from outside.

“He kept demanding food and cigarettes and threatening us that he would burn the place down, and on the day of the fire he had demanded cigarettes too,” a police lieutenant, 30, said.

He was first alerted to a fire in the dining hall at around 4pm. He went to check and saw flames the fire had engulfed the area.

He checked CCTV and saw the suspect had used newspaper and paste to cover the lenses.

“We discovered that he used strips of his bed mattress to start the fire,” said the lieutenant.

A report from General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology said the fire was most probably started with a lighter, though it was never found.

The defendant was charged with issuing threats, starting a fire, causing Dh44,690 in damage and endangering the lives of other detainees some of who suffered smoke inhalation.

The incident took place in April 2014, but it was not mentioned why he was in custody or why the case took three years to reach court.

The next hearing will be on June 29 to summon the defendant.