Housemaid jailed for knifing friend’s fiancée

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A housemaid, who knifed a man for advising his fiancée not to go with her to a nightclub, has lost a mercy plea at the Appeals Court.

The African maid, 25, stuck a knife in the chest of the unemployed Sudanese man, 40, at a street in Frij Murar area at around 3:00am on February 3.

She had a motive to kill him but the scheme fell flat, prosecutors explained.

He was rushed to hospital where he responded to medical intervention.

Prosecutors accused her of attempted murder.

"I never had any motive to kill him. In fact I was under alcohol influence," she argued.

The Dubai Criminal Court sentenced her to two years behind bars to be followed by deportation.

She appealed seeking a lenient punishment. However, the Dubai Appeals Court has rejected the mercy plea.

In prosecution records, the victim wanted to meet his Ethiopian fiancée.

He waited for her beside a supermarket in the neighbourhood. She showed up with the maid. The victim learnt they were going to a nightclub.

He held his fiancée by the arm while advising her not to go with the maid.

The maid, not knowing that the victim understood their mother tongue, advised the fiancée to deceive him that she would not go the club.

The victim told the fiancée to stay back and let the maid to go alone.

The maid boiling with anger pelted him with obscenities.

“I wanted to go away with my fiancée and leave the maid there,” said the victim.

“All of a sudden, she charged at me and stabbed me,” he complained adding that he seized the maid’s arm and asked her what had happened.

He lost balance and collapsed. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital.

The 25-year-old fiancée told prosecution investigators that the victim contacted her and requested to meet her downstairs the building where she stayed.

The maid, who was also going her way, followed her downstairs.

“The moment she saw me standing with him, she seized my arm while telling me to escort her. The victim asked me to stay. She insulted him. They started disputing. I stood between them for fear they would fight.

“The maid went away. Shortly, she returned talked to him and suddenly stabbed him. He started bleeding.”

A forensic report showed the knife attack affected his left lung. Doctors described it as fatal.

The victim complained to the Naif Police Station.

During police and prosecution interrogations, the maid acknowledged having assaulted him with a knife.