A man, accused of intentionally drowning a compatriot by holding his head down in the sea, was sentenced to 10 years in jail, to be followed by deportation, on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old Kenyan earlier denied a premeditated murder charge in the Court of First Instance. He claimed he was only having fun and that he was then under the influence of alcohol.He was also accused of consuming alcohol without a licence.
Two other Kenyans, aged 30 and 25, who have been accused of failing to report the crime that happened on January 22, were each ordered to pay Dh1,000 fine.
“The incident was at first reported as an accident, but later the victim’s boss, a 54-year-old Italian restaurant owner, told us that he suspected it was an intentional drowning, as the victim’s friend told him so,” a police lieutenant said.
The police spoke to one of the victim’s female relatives and found he was with the three accused and two women on Jumeirah Beach on that day.
“They all denied knowing anything about the matter. However, the victim’s friend told us, quoting the third accused, that the main defendant drowned the victim by forcibly putting his head in the water for more than once. It was like that until the victim disappeared in the water,” the police officer told the prosecutor.
Several mutual friends told the police that the defendant and the victim had previous disputes and that the defendant had threatened to hurt the victim.
During the questioning, the main accused alleged he was playing with the victim by putting his head in the water. “He claimed that when the victim disappeared he got scared and returned to the beach. He did not call for help,” the lieutenant said.
The defendant confessed to the police he had threatened to kill the victim but claimed it was in an instant of rage.
According to the forensic expert, the victim died because of drowning.
The alcohol level was high in his body to an extent that make him lose balance and damaged perception.
-Khaleej Times
