Dubai: A supervisor has been accused of getting drunk and beating his co-worker who had asked him to reduce the music volume on his mobile phone, heard a court on Thursday.

The 37-year-old Sudanese taxi driver was said to have finished his night shift and returned to the labour accommodation to sleep after a tiring round at work in August.

Shortly after he had fallen asleep, the drivers’ 56-year-old Indian general supervisor, according to records, switched on his mobile phone to listen to music at a loud voice.

The Sudanese driver woke up from his sleep and asked the supervisor to reduce the volume.

The 56-year-old did not respond and just walked out of the room, then returned after a few minutes carrying a broken office chair.

The Indian supervisor struck the room door wide open with the chair and then he tossed it at the driver, who sustained a severe injury in his backhand when he tried to fend off the chair.

As the Indian left the room again, the driver locked the door and called the police, who came and apprehended the supervisor.

Prosecutors charged the Indian with assaulting his co-worker and getting drunk.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the suspect caused the driver a two per cent permanent disability in his finger.

The suspect pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.

The driver claimed to prosecutors that the incident happened shortly after he fell asleep after his night shift.

“I was too tired and needed to sleep. I woke up suddenly to very loud music that came from the suspect’s mobile. I asked him to be considerate and reduce the volume because I needed to rest after a tiring shift. He left the room and I thought that he had responded to my request. Shortly after that, he struck the door hard with a desk chair, the legs of which were broken … then he tossed the chair at me. In order to protect myself, I used my hand to block it from landing on my head. The bladed-like broken legs of the chair caused a severe cut to the back of my hand. When he walked out of the room, I called the police after I locked the door,” he testified to prosecutors.

The suspect was quoted as admitting to prosecutors that he was drunk and threw the chair at the driver.

The trial continues.