Dubai: A worker lost his appeal on Wednesday and will be executed for premeditatedly murdering a wealthy businessman although his lawyer had argued defended he was defending himself against being raped.

The Afghan worker, B.G., and his two countrymen, Z.H. and A.A., used knives to kill the Iraqi businessman and steal his belongings.

The Dubai Appeal Court dismissed Z.H.’s appeal and upheld the capital punishment against him.

Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm also upheld a life sentence against the two accomplices, Z.H. and A.A., for aiding and abetting B.G.

The Afghan defendants had entered a not guilty plea and denied the charge of intentionally killing the victim and stealing his three mobile phones, car and wallet.

Z.H. and A.A. will be deported following the completion of their punishments, according to Wednesday’s ruling.

Presiding judge Bin Sarm also confirmed the decision to refer the claimants’ [victim’s family] civil lawsuit to the Dubai Civil Court.

B.G.’s lawyer argued before the appellate court that his client was compelled to kill the businessman in self-defence when the latter tried to rape him.

“The businessman lured my client with money. He hired him as an accountant but constantly asked him for a massage. My client acted in self-defence when the victim tried to abuse him sexually,” the lawyer defended.

The victim’s family dismissed the allegation that the deceased had purportedly tried to rape B.G. They contended that the victim was an upright individual.

The court-appointed lawyer argued that B.G. was in a state of “imminent danger” when the businessman tried to rape him.

Records said B.G. was busted when a police patrol asked him to pull over while driving the victim’s car in Dubai International City in November 2013. “We suspected B.G. when he took a wrong turn and entered a dead-end. After we asked him to pull over, he claimed that he was playing tennis. When I asked him about a bloodstain on his shirt, B.G. claimed that he had bled from his nose. We discovered that the car belonged to the victim. He said the businessman was his friend and he had lent him his vehicle. The Iraqi victim didn’t answer his phone when we contacted him… then we took B.G. to the police station for further questioning,” a policeman testified.

Meanwhile a police lieutenant said he noticed a knife wound on B.G.’s chest.

“When I asked him about the wound, he admitted that he had killed the owner of the car,” said the lieutenant.

However, B.G.’s lawyer contended before the appellate court that after B.G. rejected the businessman’s sexual advances, the victim persisted and they fought.

“The Iraqi took out a knife from under his bed and tried to coerce my client to have sex with him, B.G. resisted. The victim stabbed my client in his chest. My client grabbed a knife from the kitchen to defend himself. Z.H. and A.A. did not kill the victim. B.G. phoned and asked them for help after he stabbed the businessman as he didn’t know what to do,” argued the lawyer.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.