Driver asked to pay Dhs200,000 in blood money to deceased man's family

Mohammed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

Dubai Court of Appeal commuted an Asian driver’s jail term from four to two months but upheld a Dhs10,000 fine and suspension of his driving licence for six months after he was convicted of driving a vehicle under the influence of alcoholic beverages, running over a person and causing his death in Discovery Garden area in Dubai.

The court also obligated the defendant to pay Dhs200,000 in blood money to the heirs of a deceased.

The case dated back to last January when Dubai Police’s operations room received a report that a person had been run over in Jebel Ali area. According to a policeman’s statement, he moved to the scene of the accident, where he saw that the victim had already died as a result of a traffic accident.

The defendant admitted at the scene of the accident that he caused the victim’s death after he had run over him, the policeman said. Using a breathalyzer, the defendant proved to be in an abnormal state as he was under the influence of alcoholic beverages, he added.

A sketch of the accident scene showed that the defendant did not abide by the traffic signs and rules when he was driving his vehicle and consequently he ran over the victim, who was standing outside the carriageway, mistakenly causing him to sustain multiple injuries that led to his death, he said.

On interrogation, the defendant stated that while he was driving his vehicle, he saw two children suddenly heading to the carriageway and he tried to avoid them but the vehicle swerved to the road shoulder where the victim was standing.

Separately, Dubai Criminal Court jailed an Asian for 3 years, to be followed by deportation from the country after serving his sentence, and prevented him from depositing money by himself or through others without a permit from the Central Bank of the UAE, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior.

The court also fined him Dhs100,000 after he was convicted of using his bank account to finance a drug trafficking gang operating from an Asian country.