Man deported over vow to kill ex-lover

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A salesman who broke up with his girlfriend, leaked messages and publicised an intimate photo must be deported, the Appeals Court has decided.

The Asian defendant, 32, insulted and threatened to murder the Filipina victim, 39, along with her Facebook friends, and violated her privacy by posting a photo showing her basking with him at a certain beach.

While on a Facebook group chat the defendant offensively claimed he had a meeting with her and he was capable of meeting all her Facebook friends, according to her complaint at Al Barsha Police Station.

Prosecutors charged him with threatening her and insulting her besides misusing the social media service to assault her privacy. In court on Nov.27 he contended, “She was my friend. I was just joking with her.”

“She even forgave me,” he insisted and presented a waiver. The court awarded him a suspended six-month prison term and Dhs20,000 fine plus deportation. The Appeals Court has upheld the deportation.

On the record, both litigants were Facebook friends and followed the same group. Their relationship developed. She shared photos with him. However, misunderstandings and problems left them apart.

“He posted our beach photo on the group chat,” she complained, adding that he tarnished her reputation and violated her privacy. Nonetheless, she was chatting on the Facebook Messenger when he joined. He issued threats and insults targeting her and her friends.

“I will kill all of you, one after the other. I can get you. I hereby notify all that I was with (he mentioned her nickname),” she quoted him claiming. He leaked conversations between him and her. Before police and prosecutors, he confessed to have leaked the intimate conversations.

He also acknowledged publiciSing the photo in which they were basking and acknowledged having posted a string of death threats to the group chat’s participants plus an inappropriate statement targeting the victim. Prosecutors presented the technical evidence to judges.