ABU DHABI // A man tried to hang himself from the vent of an air-conditioning unit while he was in police custody, the appeals court heard on Monday.
The Jordanian, N A, was alone in the police station’s detention room, when a police officer spotted his suicide bid on a CCTV monitor.
“I hurried towards him and took one of the officers with me, and the defendant was spitting and cursing and slamming his head against the wall,” said the officer, N.
“He was saying: ‘I’m a lawyer, I’m an Arab,’”
The officer tried to protect N A’s head, while N said he knocked him to the floor to restrain him.
“I did not have any cuffs with me, but it worked out and we were able to control the situation,” said N.
An ambulance was called but N A did not suffer any injuries.
The judge asked the witness why he thought the defendant had tried to hang himself.
“He told us he was feeling depressed and restrained,” he said.
The defence attorney, Ahmad Al Odali, asked if his client was wearing shackles at the time.
Actually I don’t know, I don’t remember, but probably he was,” replied N.
The judge also asked what the protocol in this situation.
“They all wear shackles, and if anyone causes problems he is handcuffed as well,” said N.
Mr Al Odali said the type of the air-conditioning unit and what the defendant used to hang himself from it was not made clear in the report.
“This is a technical issue and it is up to the court to look into it,” said the judge.
Mr Al Odali then asked the court plays the footage of the incident. “In the first instance court many scenes were omitted from the video,” he said.
The court decided to watch the video in the judge’s chambers after the session.
The court did not mention what the Jordanian was originally arrested for, nor the sentence handed to him by the First Instance Court.
hdajani@thenational.ae
