Killer jailed after family take blood money

ABU DHABI // A man who severely attacked two other men, killing one and injuring the other, was sent to jail for three years by the Federal Supreme Court after blood relatives gave up their right to vengeance.

AA, a Bidoun, was initially sentenced to death by the Sharjah Court of First Instance after he stabbed to death AY, an Emirati, and wounded AM.

AM said he was standing with AY in front of his villa when he heard AA shouting loudly, so he went and spoke to him.

AA became violent and attacked him with a knife. When AY went to separate the two, he was stabbed to death.

AA argued that he did not mean to kill AY and was only waving his knife to scare him, but he was stabbed by mistake, and he only stabbed AM after he attacked and kicked him.

AA appealed against the death sentence, which the appeals court changed to 10 years on the grounds that even if he attacked the victims with a knife, that did not mean he meant to kill them.

As it was considered unintended murder, he received the lesser sentence and was ordered to pay blood money.

The verdict was further appealed to the Federal Supreme Court by public prosecution and AA. The court returned it to the Court of Appeal for a procedural mistake in their ruling, and the appeals court upheld the verdict.

hdajani@thenational.ae