Sentence reduction for trio who stole diesel truck containing Dh5k-worth of fuel

They were originally sentenced to one year in jail to be followed by deportation

Three men who were sentenced to a year in jail each for stealing a diesel truck containing more than Dh5,000-worth of fuel inside its tank have been awarded a reduced sentence by the Dubai Court of Appeal.
On August 31 last year, the Pakistani men, aged between 26 and 33, used a crowbar to smash the window of the truck before they hot-wired the vehicle and drove away.
Records show the truck, which belonged to a fuel trading company, had been parked in the company's car park in Al Qouz industrial area.
Police received a report that the truck had been stolen on the morning of September 1, 2017. "When we received the report, our suspicions were focused on a man who was deported from the country for stealing diesel trucks and after his deportation, this type of theft dropped drastically," said an Emirati first lieutenant.
He said investigations revealed the man had returned to the country illegally. "We started collecting information and questioning people who knew him and then arrested all three defendants on September 13," said the officer.
One of the accused men, a 30-year-old, admitted to police officers that he had taken part in several other robberies, masterminded by another of the accused men, a 33-year-old who returned to Dubai illegally after being deported.
"He told us it was his 33-year-old countryman who smashed the window and hot-wired the truck and drove it away. He and the third defendant acted as look outs and were paid Dh1,500 in return," said the officer.
The three men denied charges of armed robbery when they appeared in Dubai Criminal Court last year, however they were convicted in December and sentenced to a year in prison each to be followed by deportation.
The Court of Appeal reduced their sentences to six months, but they will still be deported after serving their terms.