Dubai: An angered worker purchased a knife for Dh22 and killed his co-worker following a year of alleged sexual abuse, a court was told on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Pakistani worker was said to be walking in Al Qouz at 11pm when his countryman co-worker phoned him and asked him to come immediately because he wanted to have sex with him in September.

The co-worker’s request angered the 22-year-old and seriously agitated him before he entered a store, according to records, purchased a knife for Dh22 and went to meet his countryman in a parking lot.

Once he arrived at the spot, the co-worker grabbed his arm and asked him to go with him to his residence to have sex with him.

The 22-year-old repeatedly rejected the co-worker’s sexual advances until when the latter dragged him by clutching his clothes, the worker took out the hidden knife and stabbed him.

The 22-year-old stabbed his co-worker four times in his chest and belly and the latter walked a few steps and collapsed on the ground.

Records said the worker sat down beside his co-worker, who was taking his least breath, apologised to him for what he had done and cried.

A crowd of pedestrians spotted what had happened and gathered around the co-worker and the 22-year-old before one of them called the police.

Police arrived on the scene and apprehended the 22-year-old.

Prosecutors charged the suspect with premeditatedly killing his co-worker with a knife.

The suspect pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday.

“I did not intend to kill him … I acted in self-defence,” the suspect argued before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.

A police sergeant testified to prosecutors that the suspect tried to run away from the parking lot when he spotted the police car arriving.

“I stepped out of the police car quickly and chased him because he seemed to have been involved in the stabbing as his clothes were covered with blood. Once I stopped him, he seemed scared, confused and nervous. I walked him towards the stabbed person, who was still breathing heavily then … we called an ambulance that rushed the victim to the hospital. On-site inspections revealed that the suspect had thrown the murder weapons between two parked buses nearby. Upon following up with the operation room, we were informed that the victim died before reaching the hospital. The suspect alleged that he stabbed the victim in a fit of revenge,” the sergeant told prosecutors.

The suspect was cited as telling prosecutors that the victim had been abusing him sexually for a year and had constantly coerced him to have sex with him under the threat of having him sacked from work.

Presiding judge Jamal said the court will appoint a lawyer to defend the suspect on December 31.