Life in prison for cargo inspector who murdered girlfriend after she ended the relationship

The cargo inspector hit her over the head with a baseball bat, stabbed her and then set fire to the scene of the crime

A 29-year-old who killed his ex-girlfriend by hitting her over the head with a baseball bat and stabbing her, and then set fire to the crime scene, has been sentenced to life in jail, Dubai Criminal Court has ruled.

The Kenyan man pleaded guilty to charges of premeditated murder and the destruction of private property and was found guilty last year.

The cargo inspector had been in a relationship with the 29-year-old victim, also from Kenya, for seven years, but planned to kill her after she ended it, according to court records.

He bought a baseball bat, a knife and a bottle of petrol and went to his ex-girlfriends’ office building in Silicon Oasis on March 1, 2016. He hid in the emergency exit and at 5.30pm entered the deceased's office, hit her over the head with a baseball bat and stabbed her to death, according to court documents. The man then set the office on fire.

“The accused was spotted on surveillance cameras while entering and leaving the building. He was arrested hiding in his friend’s apartment in Sharjah on the same day of the murder," a police officer told prosecutors.

He now has two weeks to appeal the 25-year prison sentence.