Dubai: A special tribunal acquitted 18 inmates on Thursday after ruling out any possibility of convicting them of the premeditated murder of one of Dubai’s most notorious outlaws, inside Dubai Central Jail.

Citing weak and indecisive evidence and inconsistent and contradicting witnesses’ statements, the Dubai Court of First Instance acquitted the 18 inmates of the premeditated and intentional killing the 43-year-old Emirati victim, Ayoub A.Y., by stabbing him 37 times in August 2012.

Known to Dubai Police for his extensive criminal record, Ayoub was said to have had his ear cut off, finger chopped off, and neck, back, stomach and shoulder slashed with sharp objects in what prosecutors described as a “vengeance attack”.

The 18 defendants are 14 Emiratis, a Ukrainian, an Uzbek, a Pakistani and an Afghan.

A pair of Emirati brothers, 35-year-old R.S. and his younger brother M.S., and 30-year-old A.G. and his elder brother R.G., were said to have led the deadly attack.

Five other inmates were also cleared of attempting to murder R.M. for lack of corroborated evidence.

The Dubai Court of First Instance’s Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal and his two deputy judges Badr Al Jasmi and Ala’a Al Deen Fouad held special hearings for what legal and judicial experts described by a “high profile murder case”.

Packed courtroom

Exceptional safety and security procedures and measures have accompanied the high profile case since it surfaced in court in September 2013. A special tribunal was held for each and every hearing.

More than 60 police officers, anti-riot police, jail wardens and special court police officers were present in courtroom three at 10am on Thursday when presiding judge Jamal acquitted the total of 23 inmates.

The courtroom was fully packed with a large number of lawyers, judges, prosecutors and court staff in addition to law students who came to hear the ruling.

Prosecutors charged the 18 inmates of preplanning the intentional murder and using sharp and hard tools, a mopping stick and a stainless food tray before they surrounded Ayoub and dropped him down to the floor and attacked him further.

Records said some defendants circled the victim and the attackers, to prevent other inmates from defending or intervening to stop the fight that lasted nearly 15 minutes according to witnesses.

Prosecutors charged the 18 defendants with intentional murder.

Prosecutors said the deadly attack was preceded by a group fight between a separate group of five inmates [two Russians, a Georgian, an Uzbek and a Kyrgyz, who scuffled with another group from the 18 inmates.

The five inmates were charged with attempting to murder R.S.

Injuries

According to the judgement sheet, which was read by Gulf News: “The case file lacked any evidence that the suspects intended to kill Ayoub. Some of the suspects did assault the victim, but those assaulters are only responsible for the injuries they inflicted on his body. Prosecutors failed to specify who caused each injury independently. Most of the suspects were listed as suspects just because their clothes had blood stains, or because their names were mentioned in the statements or because they happened to be present at the crime scene… the court deems that insufficient to indict them.”

According to Thursday’s ruling, presiding judge Jamal cleared the suspects of any wrongdoing because prosecutors submitted “vague evidence” against the suspects.

“The court deemed the incident as a mutual assault between two groups that happened respectively. It could not be established or verified or proven who assaulted the victim or who used which weapon during the attack,” read the ruling.

Prosecutors were seeking capital punishment for the suspects who were charged with murder.

After the verdict was announced, there were sighs of joy and the 12 suspects who were in the dock looked relieved.

“Long live justice,” commented M.S. immediately after he heard presiding judge Jamal saying: “All suspects are innocent.”

Thursday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.

All the suspects entered a not guilty plea.

Revenge

Prosecution records said the incident started with a group fight.

Ayoub was serving a three-year imprisonment in jail after he was convicted (along with others) of chopping off R.G.’s little finger with a cleaver.

Witnesses testified that R.G. led the act of vengeance along with his brother and the other Emirati brothers (R.S. and M.S.) using food trays, mop sticks and brooms as weapons during the attack.

R.M. used a tray as a weapon to slice off the victim’s ear and stabbing him over different parts of his body.

Witnesses also claimed that they overheard several of the defendants saying that R.G. had vowed not to forgive Ayoub for chopping off his finger and decided to revenge by chopping off any of the victim’s organs.

One of the brothers is also believed to have jabbed the victim with the stick in his neck and face while another brother repeatedly pounded Ayoub’s head with the tray.

Ambulance

A police captain claimed to prosecutors: “We were informed that a group fight erupted at the Jail’s second building. One of the officers informed me that the victim was beaten to death. I rushed to the location and saw the victim wrapped in a blanket and he was bleeding profusely. An ambulance rushed him to hospital but he died shortly before arrival. One of the inmates claimed that the pair of brothers had decided to kill Ayoub two weeks prior to the incident… they had agreed to kill him on Eid. The witness claimed that R.G. had vowed to revenge after Ayoub chopped his finger.”

Records said the 18 defendants sneaked behind an Indian prisoner into building two although they were not permitted to be there. Then they ganged up against the victim, who had pitched in to help a few of his Russian inmate friends who were engaged in another fight.

Witnesses said the defendants (who are accused of killing Ayoub) ganged up against the victim, took him to a corner that was not monitored by surveillance cameras and assaulted him.