Dubai Court Upholds Teen’s Life Sentence in Business Bay Murder; Acquits Five Others

Dubai’s Appeal Court has acquitted five Israelis, overturning their convictions for aiding and abetting a 19-year-old compatriot in the premeditated murder of a 33-year-old Israeli man in Business Bay in May 2023.

Earlier this week, the court nullified the 10-year prison sentences previously handed down to the five suspects, acquitting them of any involvement in the teenager's actions. The ruling cited a lack of corroborative and sufficient evidence.

However, the main defendant's appeal was unsuccessful, as the appellate judges upheld his life sentence.

The defence team said they will review the appellate judgement’s reasoning and will pursue an appeal before the Court of Cassation.

In January, the Dubai Court of First Instance found the teenager guilty of premeditated murder after he fatally stabbed the victim outside a shisha café.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment, while the other five suspects received 10-year sentences. All six were ordered to be deported following the completion of their sentences.

In her defence submission before the appellate court, the lawyer argued that her client had no intention of killing the victim.

She stated that the accusations of preplanning and premeditated murder were unfounded, and that the victim had initiated the altercation by attacking the defendant with a chair, leading the teenager to act in self-defence.

According to court documents, the incident occurred after the victim and his friend entered the shisha café. The friend spotted the 19-year-old defendant, cursed his mother and sister, and a quarrel ensued.

When the friend attempted to leave, the victim attacked the teenager with a chair, prompting the defendant to stab him in what the defence argued was an act of self-defence. Less than 24 hours after the murder, Dubai Police tracked down and arrested the suspects.

Investigations revealed that the group knew the victim and his relatives, and that the murder stemmed from prior disputes and issues of vengeance dating back to their time in Israel.

Last month, the appellate court instructed prosecutors to obtain a supplementary report from Dubai Police regarding CCTV footage to clarify each suspect’s involvement in the incident. The court also dismissed the civil lawsuit filed against the five acquitted suspects.

The deportation order for the main defendant has been upheld, and the civil lawsuit brought by the victim’s family has been referred to the Dubai Civil Court. A hearing before Dubai’s highest court will be scheduled soon

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