Defaulter behind bars over death threats

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A driver who threatened to kill a woman and her offspring when she asked him to repay money he borrowed from her has been sent behind bars.

The African defendant, 39, failed to find the money. He decided to intimidate the Ethiopian woman, 21, into abandoning to ask him for it. He Whatsapped a string of death threats, the Dubai Criminal Court learnt.

“If you get me arrested, you and your offspring will not stay alive in Ethiopia!”He added, “Do you think you will be alive there? You will have to die.” Prosecutors accused him of misusing the telecommunication service.

They sued him demanding the toughest punishment. He confessed and expressed remorse. “Yes. I am so sorry,” he entreated. The court has sent him to spend six months in the dock after which he will be deported.

The woman in her complaint revealed that she got into contact with the defendant through her brother seven months ago since he was a taxi driver and would transport her brother. He started transporting her too.

He requested her to lend him Dhs2, 500 and promised to pay soon. She learnt he had borrowed Dhs2, 000 from her brother. She later asked him to repay hers. “He asked me to give him three months to arrange the money.

“I gave him a three-month deadline as requested. However, he defaulted again. When I asked him to pay he started threatening me. I was inside my apartment in Al Twar in January when I received a Whatsapp message.

“The message showed it was sent from his phone number.

“It contained threats to kill me and my offspring in Ethiopia in case I moved the police to arrest him for having defaulted on my money,” she explained.

In one statement he told her it was “better” for her to “stay in Arab countries” otherwise he would kill her the moment she returned to Ethiopia.

She contacted Al Qusais Police Station. He confessed before prosecutors.