Taxi driver to serve life in prison for stabbing cousin to death

A taxi driver who murdered his cousin over a cleaning dispute in 2019 has had his sentence more than doubled by a Dubai court.

The man from Pakistan was initially sentenced to 10 years, but after a new trial by the Court of Cassation he will now spend life in prison, typically 25 years, followed by deportation.

Judges heard that the defendant had argued about cleaning duties with his cousin in the room that they shared in the Hor Al Anz area.

The argument escalated and the man stabbed his cousin with a knife three times in the chest.

The defendant said he had lost his temper when the incident happened at about 1am on July 11, two years ago.

Flatmates of the men were woken by the victim's screams in their home.

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“I rushed to their room and found the defendant stabbing [the victim] and I had to pull him away to stop him,” a flatmate told prosecutors.

“When I asked him why, he just said ‘it happened’.

“The attacker then sat outside the room repeating that his brain was not working,” said the flatmate.

Police arrested the defendant who told officers that his cousin had mistreated him.

"He told us that his cousin screamed at him and asked him to clean the room," said the police captain involved in the case.

Police later recovered the knife from the crime scene.

In October 2019, the man was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Dubai Criminal Court, to be followed by deportation.

Details on what led to the revision of the sentence are not revealed.

THE BIO

Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.

Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.

Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.

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The biog

Name: Mohammed Imtiaz

From: Gujranwala, Pakistan

Arrived in the UAE: 1976

Favourite clothes to make: Suit

Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550

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