DUBAI // A thief who stabbed a man who tried to help his victim has had his one-year jail sentence upheld by the Dubai Court of Appeal.
On the morning of October 29 last year, Afghani K A, 25, stalked a Chinese woman leaving a bank in the Gold Souk in Deira, then tried to snatch her purse.
F F, 33, an Indian shop assistant, witnessed the incident, and intervened in the robbery.
During the scuffle that followed, the robber pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed the Indian before knocking him to the ground.
“We engaged in a fist fight but he resisted me fiercely then took me by surprise and stabbed me in the hand,” said F F. The thief then snatched the handbag from his hand and ran away.
A passing police patrol heard the woman screaming and saw the robber fleeing the scene. The officers chased, caught and arrested him.
Prosecutors said K A had confessed to his crimes during interrogation, but he denied the charges of armed robbery and assault when he appeared at Dubai Criminal Court in January. The appeal court upheld his sentence on Wednesday.
salamir@thenational.ae
