Dubai: A carpenter has been accused of striking his co-worker with a pipe and killing him for wrecking his phone.

In June, the victim was said to be drunk and sleeping in a sandy area near a workers’ accommodation where trucks were parked, when the 28-year-old Indian carpenter came along with his friend.

Since it was late evening and dark, the carpenter used his mobile phone light to search for his friend’s lost Emirates ID, according to records.

When the mobile beam accidentally flashed in the Indian victim’s eyes, he got angry and snatched the carpenter’s phone and banged it on a wall. Enraged by this, the carpenter had a violent altercation with the victim, before the friend intervened to stop the fighting. The victim promised to repair the carpenter’s phone, according to the records.

The two men left the spot, and the carpenter later returned to the same place where he saw the victim sleeping. Then he grabbed an iron pipe and beat up the co-worker and left, the records say.

Records said the next morning the carpenter was notified about the victim’s death by his friend over the phone.

Prosecutors accused the suspect of intentionally murdering his co-worker by repeatedly striking him on his neck and chest.

Dubai Police’s forensic examiner confirmed that deceased suffered broken ribs and ruptured blood vessels that led to profuse bleeding.

The suspect pleaded not guilty when he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday.

The suspect’s lawyer asked presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi to adjourn the case to hear prosecution witnesses to hear their statements on November 26.

A police lieutenant testified to prosecutors that the victim’s body was found in a sandy spot between two labour accommodation compounds at Dubai Investment Park.

“Primary interrogations unveiled the suspect’s involvement in a fight that led to the victim’s killing. During questioning, he claimed that he and his friend were drunk and sitting in that area when his friend lost his ID. Then he used the torch on his mobile to light up his way around and search for his friend’s Emirates ID … he claimed that the victim got angry and assaulted him because the torch flashed in his eyes. The suspect claimed that the friend stopped them from fighting and they left the place. After dropping his friend to his residence, according to the suspect’s statement, he returned to the same spot and beat up the victim, who was asleep. The 28-year-old also claimed that following the assault, he returned to check on the victim but had to turn back once he saw a car and four men who went out and checked on the victim. However, he claimed that he didn’t intend to kill the victim when he struck him, but he only did so to hurt him,” the lieutenant claimed to prosecutors.

The trial continues.