DUBAI // A two-year prison sentence against four men who stole from a British tourist after breaking into her villa, was upheld by the Dubai Court of Appeal.
Three Emiratis and a Jordanian aged between 22 and 45 were convicted of armed robbery by Dubai Criminal and Appeal Courts.
On October 7 last year, the tourist, 58, had just arrived on a visit and headed to an American friend’s villa in Mirdiff.
The same day, the 45-year-old drove the other three to where the woman was staying then waited in the car while the trio got access to the villa.
She was in the bedroom emptying her bags when she saw masked men carrying swords coming towards her. She was ordered to sit in the corner of the room, then asked to hand all the cash she had, but when she gave them all the money from her purse, one of the thieves complained and asked for more.
The men threatened to cut her into pieces unless she showed them where her jewellery was. The tourist told them it was still in her bags so they took the bags and left after threatening to kill her if she screamed.
The barking of the dogs alerted the friend who then saw as the men walked out of the villa carrying bags. Her friend informed her what happened so she called police.
The men stole bags which contained gold and diamond pieces and £23.60 (Dh110.68), in addition to Dh700 and two mobile phones.
One of the thieves was arrested for his alleged involvement in a rape case and when police officers found swords in his possession and scarfs similar to the ones described by the victim, they questioned him about the robbery.
The man tipped police about his accomplices and police found some jewellery items with the men similar to the ones stolen for the Brit tourist.
The 23-year-old Jordanian will be deported after serving his term.
salamir@thenational.ae
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
