DUBAI // A gang of 18 prisoners who were found not guilty of murdering a fellow inmate had their acquittal upheld by the Court of Appeal on Sunday.
The case involved the murder of Ayyoub Abdul Rida, 42, an Emirati who was killed on the second day of Eid Al Fitr in August 2012.
The prosecution claimed that the victim, who was nicknamed Rida the Burned for his penchant for setting fire to himself and property, was murdered in an act of revenge after he chopped off the finger of R A, 31, another Emirati.
At the original trial at the Criminal Court, the 18 defendants were acquitted of premeditated murder.
Another five inmates, Z S, 27, from Georgia, P K, 32, of Uzbekistan, S E, 29, and J P, 40, both Russian, and E M, 31, from Kyrgistan, belonged to a gang headed by Abdul Rida. They were acquitted of attempting to kill R M, who was feuding with Rida over who controlled the prison.
Prosecution records said that the 18 inmates who killed Rida used sharpened tools and a pointed stick to stab him to death in his cell.
Seven of the 18 defendants faced a separate charge of assaulting the deceased’s friend inside the prison, but they were also acquitted by the Criminal Court.
The victim had served six months of a three-year sentence on charges of assault. He had previous convictions for arson, setting fire to himself and to a police station.
A police corporal, who was sacked from his job after the incident, testified that he was in charge of opening the gate leading to the cell block where the deceased was being held in solitary confinement.
He said he opened the gate to allow a prisoner out after a visit when 40 other inmates stormed the block.
The corporal said he tried to stop them, but they threatened to kill him.
A police captain testified that he received a call while on duty informing him of the murder.
“The ambulance arrived but Ayyoub Abdul Rida was bleeding from every part of his body, and then I knew he died in the ambulance on the way to Rashid Hospital,” he said.
Court records show that riot police were called to control the inmates after the fight.
The Dubai Criminal Court acquitted all defendants as CCTV footage of the incident was not clear enough to identify any of the perpetrators of the murder.
They also found that it was impossible to ascertain which of the 40 men who entered Rida’s cell actually killed him.
Prosecution appealed against the verdict, but the Court of Appeal upheld the original acquittal.
salamir@thenational.ae
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
