DUBAI // A Bangladeshi driver who chased his countryman around a construction site before stabbing him to death was sentenced to five years in jail by Dubai Criminal Court on Sunday.
The 38-year-old attacked his colleague on November 22 at a site in Al Rashidiya at about 7am and the man later died of his injuries.
By the time police arrived, the attacker had fled but he was arrested the next morning.
“Witnesses said to officers that the driver stabbed the victim then fled,” said an Emirati policeman. “We rushed the victim to hospital but he passed away the following day, the same day we apprehended his attacker.”
The attacker told police that the victim had assaulted him and he was only defending himself.
“They had a work-related argument then engaged in a fight. The defendant picked up a metal bar and the [victim] carried a wooden plank and assaulted the [defendant], after which we managed to break them apart and report the matter to a supervisor,” said a Bangladeshi co-worker.
By the time the supervisor arrived, the defendant had picked up a knife from the kitchen and attacked his colleague.
“We rushed there and saw him stabbing our colleague but he fled and we had to attend to the bleeding man, so we couldn’t catch him,” added the witness.
The driver denied charges of physical assault and causing death when he appeared in court last month.
However, he was convicted on Sunday and sentenced to five years to be followed by deportation.
