DUBAI, Nov 22(The National) An HIV positive man who was beaten in retaliation for hitting a woman died later of Aids-related complications, a court heard yesterday.
EA, 40, from Palestine, is accused of beating the Emirati GS after seeing him assault a 22-year-old Russian woman.
GS, 28, was attacked on March 12 last year in a car park in Al Qusais, prosecutors say. He died five days later of Aids-related pneumonia and kidney failure after being admitted to Rashid Hospital with broken ribs.
EA was charged at the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday with assault leading to death and illegal consumption of alcohol. He denied the charges before Judge Fahmy Mounir Fahmy saying the attack was in self defence.
EA, GS and the Russian woman, LS, were together at a Deira hotel drinking alcohol until the early hours of March 12.
According to LS, they left the hotel that afternoon and GS was extremely drunk.
"We took GS's car and EA was driving while I was in the front seat and GS was in the back seat," she said.
The three were heading to the EA's car, which was parked in Al Qusais.
During the ride GS repeatedly hit LS. "He was slapping me and, when EA tried to stop him, he pushed him back with one hand and [tried to steer] with the other," said LS.
When the three arrived at the car park in Al Qusais, the fight escalated. "He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me to the ground, kicking me and slapping me," said LS. "EA pulled him back from me and they both fell to the ground."
EA said that GS fell on top of him and started punching him, breaking his glasses and causing his nose to bleed."I wrestled with him and sat on top of him and fought with him," EA said.
According to the prosecution, EA sat on top of GS, pinned his arms to the ground with his knees and landed a wave of blows to his face, chest and abdomen.
GS's older brother said GS had arrived home in tattered clothes and was bleeding. When the family asked what had happened, he said he was involved in a motorbike accident, and went to bed.
The next day, GS's health deteriorated: he started to vomit blood and was short of breath. He was taken to the NMC hospital in Deira, where his condition worsened before he was transferred to Rashid Hospital.
When GS was found to be HIV positive, he was placed in intensive care but later died from complications.GS's brother said that while GS was in hospital he kept repeating EA's name. He also said his brother's phone was continuously ringing.
"I picked up the phone and called back the numbers and one of the callers said GS was involved in a fight and they wanted to check on him," he said.
"I then called my in-law and provided him with the numbers to investigate who assaulted my brother." Police arrested EA on March 17 in a hotel in Ajman where he was found with LS. The court adjourned the case to December 15.