Dubai cricket fan jailed for knocking out roommate’s teeth

Dubai: A cricket fan will serve six months in prison for punching his roommate and knocking two of his teeth out.

The 42-year-old Indian defendant, M.A. was watching a match on television at 6.30am when the complainant, M.B, an Indian who works as a driver, asked him to turn down the volume.

M.B. told the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday that the defendant instead increased the TV volume and punched him in the face when he tried to leave the room. “He broke two of my teeth,” he added. “I tried to leave the room again, but M.A. kicked me and broke my jaw. I immediately called the police.”

The court held M.A. guilty in absentia for assaulting M.B. and causing him 5 per cent permanent disability.

Prosecutors said M.A. did not intend to inflict permanent disability on M.B. The defendant told prosecutors that he pushed M.B.

Since the defendant failed to appear in court, presiding judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi suspended his bail and issued an arrest warrant.

Another Indian, who shares the room with the men, said: “I had not slept for two consecutive days. I also asked the defendant to lower the volume and stop shouting… he yelled back and asked me to sleep outside. I moved outside, but the loud noise continued… when I returned to the room to ask him to reduce the noise, I saw the defendant kicking M.B. The latter was bleeding profusely from his mouth.”

The ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.