DUBAI // A motorist accused of punching a man said he got into a fight with the victim only because he was trying to steal his car.
The Pakistani defendant, 33, and the Indian victim, 48, were both charged with insulting each other after the fight last year. The Indian had allegedly been drinking and was charged with consuming alcohol without a licence.
“He was trying to steal my car and when I caught him he attacked me and I had to defend myself,” the accused told the court. “After that he ran off with some of my belongings, but I ended up in jail.”
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The two men got into a fight at a labour accommodation in Jebel Ali on May 15 last year.
“I found the Indian drunk and the other man pulling him and punching him in the head,” said a Pakistani security guard.
The guard called police who arrived with an ambulance and took the victim to Rashid Hospital.
A verdict will be issued by Dubai Criminal Court on April 30.
salamir@thenational.ae
