Source : National

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced the former director of Dubai's main male prison to six months in jail.

DUBAI  - Jun 30: The former director of Dubai’s biggest male prison and six guards were sentenced to six months in jail today for abusing their authority and seriously assaulting prisoners.

Four judges from the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance, who also found 18 other guards and members of the police riot squad guilty of simple assault, opened the way for the 12 victims to seek compensation and a civil case has been referred to the Dubai Civil Court.

The men, who are on bail pending an appeal, were arrested after inmates made allegations of violence following a search for drugs at the prison on Aug 1 last year. They said the guards lined both sides of a gangway and kicked and hit prisoners as they passed.

One of the prisoners, SK, an Armenian man, suffered a serious spinal injury as a result of the attack.

“From the facts of the case, it was clear the inmates were assaulted,” said the presiding judge Fahmi Munir.

He said those sentenced to six months, including TK, the director, were charged with causing disfigurement to seven of the prisoners.

“The remaining defendants were guilty of simple assault, a misdemeanour charge, so they only got three months,” Judge Munir added.

The convictions were made despite two inmates withdrawing their evidence during the trial. They said they had been pressured by other inmates to give evidence to “get back” at the guards and police.

The defence, which will appeal, argued SK was injured when he fell down the stairs after stumbling as other inmates rushed from their cells.

During his closing argument, the defence lawyer, Nabih Bader, one of seven defence counsel, questioned how a case could be brought against officers who had worked for the police for more than 20 years.

He said the charges were based on shaky and conflicting testimony of vindictive prisoners who hoped to use the abuse claim as a way of garnering some sympathy from officials and getting an early release.

Mr Bader argued that the spinal injuries suffered by SK, whose claims were the cornerstone of the prosecution’s case, was the result of a fall and not assault by prison guards.

Mr Bader had attempted to cast doubt on CCTV camera footage of inmates being beaten, pointing out that “cameras cannot show all angles and therefore cannot reveal the whole picture”.

He also said police guards and riot squad members did what they were trained and ordered to do, which was to restrain disruptive, violent and abusive prisoners. He also asked the court to disregard the civil suit.

The panel was chaired by Judge Munir, with the member judges Dr Ali Hassan Galadari, Mansour al Awadi and Omar Karmastaji.