British woman killed over gold, failed scam, Dubai court told



DUBAI // A Syrian man stabbed his British girlfriend to death in her apartment at the urging of his friend, a court heard this morning.

MM, 25, denied persuading MK, 28, to commit the crime but confessed to overstaying his visa at Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance

The victim, MA, 50, lived in Bur Dubai, three blocks from where she worked in a four-star hotel. On May 27 last year, she did not report for work. Three days later, co-workers went to check on her and found her lying in a pool of blood, clothed only in her underwear.

Prosecutors say the killing came at the end of a troubled relationship and a failed scam attempt.

MK, from Syria, became romantically involved with MA, a divorcee, after meeting her at a nightclub. He gave her his CV to help him find a job after he was made redundant in August 2009. He had been living with MM since that date.

MK told prosecutors she loved him and did not want him to leave, so she kept his passport. Prosecutors say MK went to her apartment on May 20, and put sleeping pills in her coffee, but left after she did not fall asleep.

The next day he drugged her again and tried to take his passport, but she would not give it up.

Meanwhile, MK said, MM suggested he convince her to become a partner with them in a fake investment by paying Dh40,000. Then they would abandon her.

But MA refused to buy in and on May 23 MM told MK to kill her and steal her valuables and credit cards. MK testified that he refused and tried to drug her again instead.

Instead of passing out, however, she struggled with him, and he stabbed her several times with a knife from her own kitchen after losing his temper, records show.

He said she stood up and pulled the knife from her chest, then fell to the ground uttering words in English he did not understand. He took gold from her apartment and left.

The next day, he fled to Syria after handing the gold to MM to sell it through two other men, prosecutors say.

Those men, WM, 30, Syrian, and YH, 27, Jordanian, were charged with possessing stolen gold. They denied the charge this morning and said they did not know the goods had been stolen.

MK surrendered to Syrian authorities on June 1, 2010, and is still held in Syria.

The other three men will appear again in court on July 13.

salamir@thenational.ae

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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

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  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.

Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.

Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.

For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae

 

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