Elderly cook cleared of battering watchman

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

An elderly cook suspected to have battered and robbed a security guard to force him abandon working for their sponsor has been found innocent.

Both the Indian cook, 63, and Asian watchman, 21, worked inside the villa of their Emirati sponsor in Al Twar area. The watchman claimed the cook did whatever possible to force him to quit his job.

He allegedly threatened to kill him. He photographed him followed by threats to harm him. He robbed him of his Dhs2,000 and agenda book. He also beat him. The injuries he sustained took days to heal. This happened in August last year. Prosecutors sought a tough penalty. He denied. The Dubai Criminal Court cleared him citing uncorroborated evidence. The Appeals Court has upheld the ruling.

In police and prosecution records, the watchman claimed he was working at the sponsor’s farm in Al Madam area as a farmer. Three months before the incident he was transferred to work at the villa.

He was handed a bed space in the cook’s bedroom. He alleged that whenever he was conducting his daily duties the defendant would show up, oppress him and tell him to quit his job and go away.

“I insisted on staying and continuing with my work. At around 7.30am he deranged me and told me to get out the villa. He pulled out his mobile phone and photographed me,” claimed the watchman.

“He threatened that he was going to send my photos to his sons residing in the UAE so they could identify me and run over me with a car, beat me and do away with me. I paid no heed to his threats.” The cook allegedly pulled out a knife and waved it to strike the watchman in the waist but the latter dodged it, though the knife ripped his clothes and caused him bruises on the right side of the waist.

The cook fled the villa. “I returned to the bedroom, checked my wallet and discovered that the Dhs2,000 salary I received from the sponsor was stolen. I received it a day ago in the cook’s presence. “I realised he was the one who stole it along with my agenda book in revenge. I alerted the sponsor and then went to Al Qusais Police Station to complain.”

A forensic department report dismissed claims that the bruises on the watchman’s waist were caused by a knife as he alleged. They were very minor bruises, the report explained.

A photo of the watchman’s clothes that were ripped during the assault and use of a knife was presented to the jury. The jury was not convinced.