DUBAI // A labourer admitted to stabbing another man 20 times in what Dubai Police described as a “very violent” attack.
The Pakistani, 32, pleaded guilty to the killing of his compatriot, but denied prosecutors’ claims that the crime was premeditated.
Dubai Criminal Court heard that the crime took place in December at a labour accommodation block in the city’s Al Qusais area.
He had been living in the building temporarily after his visa was cancelled and he prepared to return to Pakistan.
The court heard claims from the perpetrator that the victim had asked him for sex on a number of occasions.
He told prosecutors: “During my stay, he used to touch me, sometimes from behind and often asked to have sex with me. I turned him down, but on that day I went to the toilet at about 4am. He came and said he wanted to have sex. Things heated up and I went to the kitchen got a knife and stabbed him.”
In court on Sunday, the man said: “I didn’t plan it ahead of time. I went to the nearby kitchen, got a knife and attacked him, but it was not my intention to end his life.”
The court heard testimonies from Indian and Pakistani workers who witnessed the incident, as well as police officers who attended the crime scene.
An Emirati police captain said: “We received the report at dawn on December 7 from the labour accommodation in Al Qusais. We found the corpse on the floor at the restroom entrance and close to the kitchen.”
He said that the blood trail led them to the knife, which was hidden behind a water tank.
“It was very violent and when we arrested him the same day, he had a knife wound on one of his hands,” the captain said.
The next hearing will be on February 28.
salamir@thenational.ae
