A man’s 10-year jail sentence for his part in the rape and murder of a compatriot has been extended to life in prison.
The Pakistani convict, 21, will be deported upon the completion of his jail term.
Dubai's Court of Appeal increased his sentence after hearing how he and his accomplice killed their victim by stuffing his mouth with sand before burying him alive in the desert.
At the emirate's Criminal Court last October, the convict denied the murder charge levelled against him. He said he had been present but did not take part in the killing.
He was found guilty by the court and sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder. The court also sentenced him to an additional year in jail for theft.
His accomplice, a 31-year-old Pakistani man still at large, was sentenced to death for murder and received another two-year sentence for stealing the victim's belongings.
He was sentenced in his absence but the ruling still stands should he be caught.
The victim’s body was found on March 16 last year, two weeks after he went missing.
Police were called to a labour accommodation in Jebel Ali after some workers found the man's feet — that had been partially eaten by stray dogs — protruding from the earth.
An autopsy revealed that the man had been raped before he was suffocated.
CCTV footage showed the victim and his two attackers together at a petrol station shortly before his death.
Police identified the men and arrested one of them. Investigations revealed that the elder accomplice had left the country a day after the murder.
During questioning, the 21-year-old convict said his partner plotted the attack and asked him to arrange a meeting with the victim.
They met the victim near his residence in Jebel Ali and drove to a remote area where the 31-year-old raped him.
"My partner accused the victim of defaming him, then the two argued after which he asked me to rape him but I refused, so he raped him," the 21-year-old convict told judges.
Both men then used a rope to tie the man up while the accomplice stole the victim's wallet and mobile phone. They then killed him.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals
2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
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Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
