Jail for men who killed house mate

Four defendants claimed the victim did not die as a result of their beating, but were sentenced nonetheless.

DUBAI // Four Kenyan men charged with beating their house mate to death in a brawl were sentenced today to two years and three months in prison by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance. All four defendants, J K, 26, R M, 26, B K, 25, and J N, 25, pleaded not guilty, claiming the victim did not die as a result of the beating. The incident occurred at a villa compound in the Satwa district of Dubai last November, where all four defendants and the victim, B M, lived. All five men also worked for the same company. According to the dead man's brother, identified as P M, he and B M were in the common living area of the compound about 3am on Nov 18 when B K approached them. He said B K took offence when his brother, who was intoxicated, referred to the Masai tribe and alluded that B K "was the same Masai" who came looking for work the other day. P M said B K asked them not to call him by this name and went to his room. He said B K then returned with the other three defendants. "A tall, large man hit me from behind and I fell to the ground," P M said. "I saw the four of them punch my brother and when he fell to the ground they kicked him in various parts of his body." P M said the four defendants later dragged him and his brother to their room, dumped them on the floor and left. P M said he awoke to find his brother lying beside him with blood coming out of his nose and mouth. His brother had no pulse, he was not breathing and had turned cold, he said. P M said only when the ambulance arrived an hour later did he learn his brother had died. In his defence, B K told the court he was assaulted by the two brothers. He said he ran to his room and told his friends. B K said they all came back out into the common living area and B M struck the first blow, hitting J K over the head with a bottle. B K said J K grabbed a plastic chair out of B M's hand and hit him with it repeatedly over the head. He said B M fell to the ground and J K continued to kick him, including in the head. B K said they then carried the two brothers to their room, while R M cleaned up the blood from the assault. All four defendants were in court when the verdict was announced. @Email:[e-mail]