Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court has sentenced three to life in prison on the charges of deprivation of liberty, attempted rape and criminal involvement.
The judgement was passed after the Abu Dhabi Police received a complaint reporting an assault in a remote area in the desert. The victims reported that they had been surprised by the arrival of a vehicle with three people on board, M.M., S.M. and A.S. who appeared to be intoxicated. Two of the defendants threatened the first male victim with a knife, and attempted to keep him away. Meanwhile, the third defendant attempted to rape the female victim. She was able to resist, and the other two defendants subsequently attempted to rape her. In the meantime, the male victim managed to escape and report the crime to the Abu Dhabi Police.
The defendants attempted to flee when the found the Police approaching, but the authorities were able to apprehend them. As they tried to flee, one of the defendants also damaged the police vehicle.
The three were subsequently arrested, given pretrial detention and interrogated by the Public Prosecution. The Prosecution then requested the maximum sentence when the three defendants were presented in court. A series of additional charges and penalties was also recorded.
The first defendant, M.M., was charged for the abuse of psychotropic substances, and sentenced to a three-year prison term of three years with a Dh50,000 fine. For the charge of crashing into and damaging the police patrol vehicle, the defendant received a prison term of one year, and another six-month prison term was set for driving under the influence of psychotropic substances, along with a Dh30,000 fine. The defendant’s driving licence was also suspended for the remaining period of validity, with a ban on renewing it or obtaining a new licence. Finally, for obscuring the licence plate while driving, the defendant was sentenced to six months in jail, and handed another Dh30,000 fine.
The second defendant, S.M. was additionally sentenced to three years in jail, and a fine of Dh50,000, for abusing psychotropic substances. The third defendant, A.S., was also charged for abusing psychotropic substances, and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, with a Dh50,000 fine.
The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution has also affirmed that the safety and security of members of the community is its top priority.
