Dubai: A businesswoman, who killed her lover after he rejected her marriage proposal will spend 10 years in jail, a court ruled on Sunday.
The 34-year-old Russian businesswoman, E.T., stabbed her Palestinian lover three times in the chest and killed him in August 2014 after he refused to marry her.
The woman was under the influence of alcohol when she stabbed the victim and then fell asleep before she called the police the next day.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted E.T. of premeditatedly stabbing the victim to death although she had pleaded not guilty and cited self-defence.
She claimed that she loved the victim and had lent him more than Dh500,000 and bought him two cars.
“The accused will have to pay Dh100,000 in compensation to the victim’s successors. She will be tried before the Dubai Misdemeanours Court for drinking alcohol,” said presiding judge Mohammad Jamal on Sunday.
On Sunday, when she heard the judgement, E.T. covered her face with her pink prison dress and walked out with tears in her eyes.
According to Sunday’s ruling, E.T. was convicted of having consensual sex with the victim and premeditated murder.
The 25cm long knife that the accused used to kill the victim will be confiscated.
“The accused will be deported following the completion of her punishment,” said presiding judge Jamal in court.
A policeman testified that E.T. collapsed and cried bitterly beside the victim’s body when police arrived at her flat where the crime happened.
“I communicated with her over the phone since she reported to us that she had murdered someone. She was devastated and her right arm was covered with a white bandage soaked with blood … she opened the door when I arrived. She sat on the floor and clutched the victim’s legs. She said she loved him and that she had lent him money and bought him two cars but he refused to marry her. She said that she discovered that he was married and had been exploiting her financially as he took between Dh10,000 and Dh20,000 every now and then.
“On the night of the incident, E.T. said they had a heated argument over their relationship. Then each of them left for a bar and consumed liquor. She claimed that when she returned to the flat after 90 minutes she had another fight with the victim over the money she had lent him,” claimed the policeman.
A police lieutenant said the accused claimed that she was drunk when she returned to the flat and that he was asleep when she stabbed him to death.
“She alleged that she slept on his chest till noon when she called the police,” said the lieutenant.
A Syrian friend, who was the last person to see the victim shortly before his death, testified: “We left a coffee shop at 9pm. We met again at the same place at midnight and he seemed depressed and he told me that he was not feeling comfortable with E.T. any more. He told me he wanted to break up with her. Then we went to a pub. Later I called him at 3.30am and he told me that he was about to enter the flat. At noon the next day, the defendant told me over the phone that she had killed the victim. She was a jealous woman.”
A Jordanian friend said E.T. constantly asked the victim’s friends if he had relationships with other women. Sunday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
