Dubai court grants retrial to man convicted of causing friend's death in shisha fire

A Dubai court granted a retrial to an Emirati who was convicted of causing his friend's death in a shisha fire.

Judges in the emirate's Cassation Court overruled the verdict passed by the Misdemeanour and Appeal courts.

They said the police report showed the man was not guilty of setting the fire which caused the death of his friend.

A new panel of appeal judges will hear the case.

Judges were told the Emirati, 37, and the woman were at a farm’s majlis in the Lihbab area of Dubai on March 14 last year.

The Ethiopian woman, whose age was not given, brought shisha inside the majlis and left the charcoal at the entrance.

After 45 minutes of smoking shisha together, the man noticed a flare.

"I walked towards the tent's entrance and looked out and saw the fire. I had to jump above the flames, which spread very fast and were blocking the way," the man told the judges.

He said he tried using the water from the well to put out the fire, but the pump did not work. Several people used buckets to splash water and douse the flames.

“The fire was spreading fast and I was screaming at her to jump out of the place but she didn’t move,” he said.

Firefighters controlled the blaze, but found the woman dead.

Medical reports said she suffered burns and died of asphyxiation.

The man was initially found guilty of causing death.

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The Misdemeanour and Appeal courts sentenced him to one year in prison, and fined him Dh5,000. He was also ordered to pay blood money of Dh200,000 to the woman’s family.

But the man’s Emirati lawyer Bader Khamis challenged the verdict and submitted reports issued by Dubai Police’s criminal laboratory in April 2020.

The report said a wind blew sparks of charcoal across the tent, starting the fire and helping it to spread quickly.

“The burning charcoal fell on the floor nearly two metres away from the right side of the tent,” Mr Bader said.

“It was a windy day and the wind carried the sparks to sofas in that part of the tent, which ignited the fire.”

Tips for used car buyers

Choose cars with GCC specifications
Get a service history for cars less than five years old
Don’t go cheap on the inspection
Check for oil leaks
Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell

Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com

ELIO

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Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

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Getting%20there

%3Cp%3EGiven%20its%20remote%20location%2C%20getting%20to%20Borneo%20can%20feel%20daunting%20even%20for%20the%20most%20seasoned%20traveller.%20But%20you%20can%20fly%20directly%20from%20Kuala%20Lumpur%20to%20Sandakan%20and%20Sepilok%20is%20only%20half%20an%20hour%20away%20by%20taxi.%20Sandakan%20has%20plenty%20of%20accommodation%20options%2C%20while%20Sepilok%20has%20a%20few%20nature%20lodges%20close%20to%20the%20main%20attractions.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

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Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com