Dubai: A visitor has been cleared of participating with another suspect in assaulting a driver in a street and stealing Dh40,000 that he had just collected from a money exchange house.
The 27-year-old Ethiopian visitor, S.A., had earlier denied the accusation of conspiring with the other suspect, who remains at large, to assault the Pakistani driver in the street and snatch the money from his pocket in February.
Citing lack of corroborated evidence, the Dubai Court of First Instance acquitted S.A. of robbing the driver after he pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors had charged the runaway suspect and S.A. of waylaying the Pakistani driver, kicking him and pushing him to the ground before taking away the money he had kept in his pocket.
“I did not assault the driver or steal his money. It was the runaway suspect who mugged him. I did not know that he had planned to assault the victim,” the visitor contended before the presiding judge.
The driver testified to prosecutors that he was mugged after his manager asked him to go and cash a cheque worth Dh37,000.
“I took the cheque and went to cash it; I already had Dh3,000 in my pocket. After I collected the cash, I put it in my pocket. Then I walked towards the Gold Souq to wire the money at 7pm when someone tripped me beside the pavement; he also kicked my leg. I lost my balance and fell down and as I was standing up, I felt someone’s hand in my pocket. The person who tripped me apologised and continued walking; meanwhile they had taken me by surprise and took the money. I turned quickly and spotted the suspect [S.A.] and there was money in his hand. I stopped him instantly from absconding as some bystanders helped me. Police came and took him in while the runaway disappeared,” he claimed.
A policeman testified that when he rushed to the location, he saw the suspect restrained by a group of people and the victim.
“I took S.A. to the police station for questioning. He denied involvment in the theft,” he added.
The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 13 days.
